A Dark Nightmare Revisited: Book Three
by FabulousBeauty
Summary: The Undertaker has taken off with his and Stephanie's newborn daughter, and he's now married to Stephanie's sister, Xandra. With a little help from a new friend, can Stephanie get her daughter back from her rapist?
1. Chapter 1

Welcome to Book Three of A Dark Nightmare Revisited. This picks up that same afternoon where Book Two left off. I hope you enjoy!

A Dark Nightmare Revisited: Book Three

Chapter One

"...I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."

Taker took Xandra in his arms, leaned in and kissed her softly.

"Congratulations." The minister said. "Have a great life together and God bless you."

"He already has." Taker replied.

"Thank you." Xandra added.

Taker picked up Carter's carrier and held his arm out for Xandra. She held on to him as the now united family walked out of the chapel.

"We did it!" Xandra said excitedly.

"Yes, we did, Mrs. Undertaker." Taker kissed his new bride on the cheek.

"I can't believe Lizzie slept through the whole thing."

"Neither can I." Taker said as he placed Carter in her car seat. "You know she'll probably be up half the night now."

"I hope not. We need our rest...and our time to...you know...celebrate our first night as husband and wife."

"Come here." He took Xandra in his arms. "I know you're scared, but it's all right. I'll help you through the nervousness."

"You will?"

He nodded. "I want our first time to be wonderful...and your first time to be even more so for you."

She kissed him lightly. "Have I told you how much I love you lately?"

"Yeah, you just did, but I'd like to hear it again."

"You're going to be hearing a lot of it tonight."

Taker chuckled softly as he opened the passenger door for Xandra.

Meanwhile, Stephanie was about to be discharged from the hospital. She had been checked out and she was as physically healthy as a new mother could be, so there was no reason for her to stay any longer.

"But what about my baby? Where is she?" She had asked the doctor, concerned. "Her father should have brought her back days ago!"

"I'm sorry, but without the father or the baby, we really can't help you."

Stephanie lay back on her pillows, tears streaming down her face. She was stuck in an unfortunate situation and didn't know how to deal. All she wanted was her newborn daughter back with her where she belonged.

But now she had a bigger problem. What was she going to tell her family? They had been looking forward to meeting the newest McMahon since Stephanie first told them she was pregnant. What could she possibly say when they ask why she was in the hospital, never mind asking about the baby.

'Xandra would know what to do...' She thought. 'Where is she anyway? She should have called me by now.'

Suddenly a frightening thought popped into her head.

"Taker..." She said quietly. 'He'd better not do anything to hurt Xandra, or my daughter. If he lays a finger on either of them, I swear to God...'

"Excuse me, Ms. McMahon?"

Stephanie turned to see a nurse standing at the door.

"I know. I need to start packing."

"No. My name is Jackson. I'm one of the nurses that helped you deliver your daughter."

"Can I help you?"

"Actually, I'm here to help you."

"Help me?"

"Yes. I believe I can help you in regards to your daughter."


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

"You know where her father is?" Stephanie asked curiously.

"Not really, but I was the last person to see him and your daughter."

"Come on in. Close the door."

Jackson did as she asked.

"What happened? Tell me everything."

"Well, I saw your daughter's father...tall with his arms covered in tattoos, right?" She nodded. "Good. Anyway, I saw him watching her through the nursery window. He asked if he could hold her, so I said of course. I brought the baby to him. I watched them for a while. I heard him talking about getting married."

"Married?"

"I asked him about that, and he told me that he's getting married as soon as he possibly can now that his daughter was born. He told me not to tell you. I assumed that he was planning a surprise wedding for you."

"Trust me, the last thing I want to do is go through another wedding, particularly with him."

"I take it you don't get along?"

"That's only half the story, which I'd rather not get into right now."

"OK. Well, I got called to help with another delivery, so I left him with your daughter, assuming he would give her back to the other nurse on duty. When I got back to the nursery, I noticed both he and the baby were gone. I didn't think the worst until later on when he didn't come back. It was only then that I realized that he'd taken her and wasn't coming back."

"You let him leave with my baby?!" Stephanie said through clenched teeth.

"I'm so sorry. Had I known what was going on, I would have tried to stop him before he left."

"Well, weren't there any cameras? Someone must have seen him!"

"I checked all the security cameras for footage of him because trust me, a man like him would be hard to miss. But unfortunately, they found nothing."

"Oh, my God!" Stephanie exclaimed, burying her head in her hands. "What am I going to do?" She cried. "He could be anywhere by now!"

"I don't know what else to tell you. I just had to let you know what had happened, because I couldn't live with myself knowing you were suffering like this."

"You don't understand. My daughter's father is a very dangerous man who shouldn't be trusted with a ficus, never mind a baby!"

"He didn't strike me as dangerous when he was holding your daughter. I saw nothing but love in his eyes."

"Of course he would love his daughter. But he took her just to get back at me."

"That part I don't get. You seem like a sweet young woman. Why would anyone want to hurt you?"

"I've asked myself that question since this whole mess started. Now, he's God knows where with my little girl!"

"I am so, so sorry. I wish I could help you more." Jackson put his arm around Stephanie. She leaned her head on his shoulder. For the first time since Taker started dating Xandra, she actually felt a sense of comfort. She felt as if she wasn't alone, that she finally had someone to be there for her in her darkest hour.

"I don't know you at all, but I'm glad you came to me and told me all of this."

"It was the least I could do. I'd hear you crying whenever I was making my rounds and I was honestly worried about you. When the doctor mentioned that you were going home today, I knew I just had to let you know what had happened before you left."

"I appreciate your honesty. Thank you."

"Look, there's nothing I want to see more than you being reunited with your daughter. I may not know the whole situation between you and her father, but it must be seriously bad if he would just kidnap her for no reason."

"Yeah, no reason other than to hurt me." Stephanie said as she wiped her tears. "Well, I guess I'd better start getting ready. The hospital's kicking me out today. I just don't know what I'm going to do now. I haven't talked to my family since I got here. They knew I was pregnant, and now they're expecting to see a baby with me the next time I see them...and the one person who could even remotely help me is suddenly unreachable. Who knows what happened to her?"

"Gee, I was hoping to make you feel just a little bit better, but I think I just made you feel worse. I apologize."

"No, it's not your fault. It's just this son of a bitch I have to deal with."

"Yeah. You know, I hope that you are reunited with your daughter...hopefully sooner than later."

"If he knows what's good for him, it will be sooner."

"Well, I'd better go. Best of luck to you. I sincerely hope everything works out in the end."

"Thank you."

Jackson stood up and made his way towards the door.

"Wait!"

"Yeah?" Jackson turned back to Stephanie.

"I just want to let you know how much I appreciate you coming by to see me and check in on me, and telling me what you knew about my daughter. It means a lot to me. You made me feel like I'm not alone for the first time in a long time. I needed that so much, you have no idea."

"I'm glad to help in any way that I can."

"Hey, before you go, do you mind if I hug you? I could use a little love."

Jackson smiled. "Sure." He walked over to Stephanie and took her in an embrace, which she gladly returned. With that simple hug, Stephanie could feel her walls of despair crumble. She knew that she now had someone who was willing to listen to her and sit with her as she cried about her daughter. She felt as if she could be able to trust him with most of her secrets.

"Don't go." She said quietly.

"I'm sorry?"

"Remember that story I didn't want to get into?"

"Yeah."

Stephanie looked at him. "I think I'm ready to tell it."


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes: Thanks for being patient with me and sticking with me. I've got 2 other series I'm working on, but I'll try to update more often as these chapters come to me.

There's some sexual content in this chapter, letting you know right off the bat. Enjoy!

Part 3

Xandra and Taker arrived back at their hotel room after a celebratory dinner.

"Well, how does it feel?" Taker asked his new bride. "Being Mrs. Undertaker."

"It feels pretty wonderful so far."

"Why don't you put Lizzie to bed? Then while she's asleep, I'll make you feel even better."

Xandra blushed furiously, yet had an anticipatory smile on her face. "I can't wait."

Taker kissed the top of her head and sent her and Lizzie off. He lit a couple of candles and put some soft jazz music on, hoping to set the perfect ambiance for Xandra's first time making love.

Soon Xandra came back into her and Taker's bedroom. She gasped as she walked into the romantic setup Taker had prepared for her. Her eyes locked onto her new husband who stood by the bed, holding a single red rose.

"Oh, Taker..." She breathed out.

"I hope everything is to your liking." He stated.

"It's amazing!" She replied as she walked over to him. He handed her the rose, then brought her hand to his lips and kissed it gently.

"My beautiful bride..." He whispered. "I've been waiting for this moment since you agreed to marry me."

"Me too. I knew you were going to be the one for me since our first date. We have a long road ahead of us, and I promise to be there every step of the way. I love you."

"I love you, too. Let me show you just how much." He wrapped her in his arms and lowered his lips to hers. She placed her arms around him as the kiss deepened.

She reached up and started undoing the buttons on his shirt, her hands gently trembling as they reached inside to caress his upper body. She felt his heart beating and she knew that it beat only for her.

Taker turned Xandra around and slowly slid the zipper down. He eased the fabric off her shoulders and it slid to the floor in a whisper. Xandra turned to face him, standing in a black lace bra and matching bikini panties.

"My God..." Taker sighed. "You're more beautiful than I could have ever imagined."

"Oh, I'm nothing special." Xandra replied, looking down shyly.

"Yes, you are." He tilted her face back up so he could look in her eyes. "You are special. You are special because you are my wife. That makes you the most beautiful woman in the world."

Tears filled Xandra's eyes at his sentiment. "Taker..."

Taker finished removing his shirt from his body. For the first time, he stood shirtless before Xandra. He noticed her eyes sparkle with approval. They showed that she was beginning to let her guard down and lose her reservations about her first time.

He picked her up in his arms and laid her gently on the king size bed. He laid next to her, softly stroking her hair. He leaned in to kiss her...

"Stop!" He heard a voice say. He lifted his head to look around. When he saw nothing, he leaned back in.

"No!" He heard the voice again. He stopped and rubbed his head.

"Are you OK?" Xandra asked.

"Yeah. Yeah...just a little nervous." He replied.

"I thought I was the one who was supposed to be nervous."

He softly chuckled. "I'm sorry. It's...it's nothing, really. I just want to concentrate on making this perfect for you."

"You are making it perfect. It's you, my husband."

"Xandra..." He said just before he leaned in and claimed her lips with his. They kissed deeply until Taker moved his lips to her neck. She sighed as she felt Taker's kiss on her for the first time.

He reached up to slide one of her bra straps off her shoulder, and softly kissed the skin underneath. She let a hand run through Taker's short hair.

Taker moved his lips over Xandra's shoulder. He opened his eyes...

And saw a ghostly figure behind Xandra. A woman with torn clothes, brown hair and brown eyes. He recognized the face of the woman before him...

'Stephanie?' He thought. 'No, it couldn't be.' He closed his eyes again and tried to focus on the real woman in his arms.

"Taker..." Stephanie's voice called, but he did his best to ignore it.

He stood up and proceeded to undress himself. He removed his shoes, then his pants. He now stood before Xandra in black briefs.

"Damn..." Xandra said. "So that's what you've been hiding under your clothes."

"I take it you like what you see."

"I'm definitely impressed."

Taker sat back down on the bed as Xandra sat up. She reached behind her to undo her bra. Taker saw it loosen around her chest.

"I thought I'd let you have the honor of undressing me." Xandra offered.

Taker raised his hands to her and slowly pulled the bra down her arms and off her body. Xandra was now topless in front of her husband.

"What do you think?" She asked timidly.

"Wow. You're a true vision of beauty."

Xandra blushed as he stroked her hair. Taker raised his eyes...

And saw the ghost of Stephanie still standing behind Xandra.

"So you think you're going to do to her what you did to me?" She asked. Taker shook his head. "You robbed me of my virginity, now you're about to take my sister's? Not as long as I live and breathe!"

'Go away!' Taker thought. 'I love Xandra and I'm not about to let you ruin this for me!'

"Well, that's just tough. You won't hurt my sister! I'll make sure of that!"

"Taker?" Xandra's voice snapped him back to reality. "Are you OK? You look kind of lost in your thoughts."

He shook his head. "I'm sorry. I just...got distracted for a second."

"It's all right."

"No, it's not. I should be only thinking of you right now."

"What's on your mind?"

Taker was stuck. He couldn't tell her that he was thinking of her sister, and he certainly couldn't tell her what he'd done to her.

"I'm just thinking how blessed Lizzie is to now have 2 parents to love her and take care of her."

"Oh, you're so sweet." She said, kissing him gently.

"I try. You're an amazing mother already. She loves you so much."

"Aw...I think she's a true daddy's girl."

Taker chuckled as he thought of his baby girl...his daughter with his rape victim, and his new bride's sister.

"Now...back to more pleasurable tasks at hand." He said, trying to get back on course.

Xandra took her face in his hands and led his lips back to hers. Their arms came around each other again as Taker positioned himself above Xandra. Taker raised his head to look down at his bride.

But he instead saw Stephanie beneath him.

"Hello, Deadman."

Taker gasped in horror.

"Looks like I caught you in your favorite position...above me."

"No!" Taker said.

"That's right, Taker. I hope you see my face every time you look at your new wife. I hope I remind you of the horrific things you did to me. I hope the memories ruin your life, just like you did mine!"

"Stop! Stop torturing me! Get the hell out of my head!" He yelled.

"Taker!" A voice called.

He opened his eyes to see not the haunting form of his victim, but the calm, concerned face of the woman he loved.

"Taker! What's going on?" Xandra asked.

"Xandra...I...I'm sorry. I can't..." He got off the bed and ran into the bathroom and locked the door, leaving Xandra very confused.

"What the hell was that about?" She wondered. She walked over to the bathroom door and knocked on it. "Taker? Taker? Are you all right? Taker!"

Meanwhile, Taker sat on the closed toilet seat running his hands through his hair.

'Damn it!' He thought to himself. 'I can't believe this! Stephanie haunting me, ruining my wedding night with Xandra...Oh, God. I've been having nightmares for a while now...but I can't believe that I manifested her image before me, tonight of all nights! What am I going to do? How am I going to explain this to Xandra? What the hell am I going to tell her?'


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4

"Wow. That's...that's one incredible story." Jackson told Stephanie as he handed her another tissue. "So you don't know where your sister is, and you're pretty sure that she's with this jerk who has your daughter."

She nodded silently, tears still falling.

"Oh, boy..."

"Tell me something. I've told you what led me here, now I need to hear your thoughts. What do you think of me now?"

He looked at her seriously. "I think...I think you're stronger than you give yourself credit for."

"Really?"

"Of course. You just let out almost 5 years of frustration with this man, and I use the term loosely, to someone you'd never met before today. That takes a whole lot of courage."

"I guess."

"I know so. Can I tell you a secret?"

"Sure."

"My aunt was raped years ago, by her first husband. I was only 11 at the time, but I heard her and my mom talk about it for a long time. When I was 15, my mom told me what had happened. She told me that no man has the right to do what he did. So that was what made me take an interest in counseling. I wanted to be someone that helped rape victims find the strength and courage to speak out and become more confident in their everyday lives."

"Wow. But you're a nurse."

"Oh, I'm also studying psychology so I can become a counselor for a part time job, should this fall through."

"Well, there's no denying you're very good at listening."

"Thanks, but I want to do more than that. I want to help you get your daughter back."

"Oh...oh, no. I couldn't possibly ask you to-"

"No, please. I want to do this for you. I want you to have a happy ending out of all of this, and believe me, you deserve to get it. I understand you don't want to involve your family in this, so that's where I come in. I'm willing to help you with anything you need, just name it and I'll be on it."

"Really?" He nodded. "Well...OK."

"Great. What's your next move?"

"I don't know, but I do know one thing."

"What's that?"

"They're kicking me out and I don't have a ride home. Think you could help me out there?"

"Sure. I'm actually off today, but I thought you could use a hand."

"Great. Let's get out of here."

Meanwhile, Xandra had gotten dressed and was feeding Carter. She was confused about what had just transpired with Taker. They were enjoying their wedding night when Taker had snapped for some reason unknown to her. She was worried about him.

Suddenly, the bathroom door opened and Taker slowly walked out. He looked at his new wife and sighed sadly. He owed her an apology for what happened, but he couldn't tell her the real reason why he had acted the way he did.

He cleared his throat. Xandra looked up at him and smiled warmly.

'How can she love me when I just scared the hell out of her?' He thought.

"Are you all right?" She asked him.

He sighed again. "I...I think I'll be fine." He stated. He walked over to the bed and sat down by her. "Love, I just want to say that I'm sorry for freaking out on you like that." He said as he stroked her hair.

"I admit, you had me worried for a while there. What happened?"

"I guess it was just my conscience yelling at me over how to raise Lizzie. Being a new father has taken its toll on me."

"Oh, Taker. It's all right. I'm nervous, too. I just want to do right by my new stepdaughter."

"We both do. But my past-"

"Don't worry about it. I know you'll be the best father you can be to her. I know you love her so much already. She's beginning to grow on me too."

"I love both of you so much. I just can't believe I finally have the family I've always wanted."

"I know. This is going to take some getting used to...but I believe we can pull it off."

He kissed her gently. "That's what I love about you. Always willing to see the positive in a tough situation."

"I try."

"You're doing an amazing job."

"Thanks."

"I think we should head back to Connecticut tomorrow. I just want to get a good night's sleep and get you home before your family starts worrying about you."

"I agree."

"Xandra...I'm really sorry about ruining our wedding night like I did. I had wanted to make your first time special...and instead, I just shot it all to hell."

"Oh, Taker." She reached up to caress his face. "It's all right. Like you said, you're under a lot of stress right now and it's understandable. Maybe we could try again once we get all settled in our new life."

"Really? You want to try again?"

"Of course I do. I still want you to be my first. You are my husband, after all. It's only right that I should be with you in every possible way."

He kissed the top of her head in response. "My Xandra..."

"It's getting late and we all should be well rested before hitting the road tomorrow, especially this little one." She said, kissing Carter on her forehead. "Let me put her back to bed and then we can spend our first night as husband and wife in each other's arms."

"I'd like that very much."

Xandra stood up and walked away with Carter. Taker laid back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

'My dear Xandra...' He thought. 'I'm sorry I can't tell you the truth, but know that I will do anything to keep you...including keeping your sister away from our daughter.'

"So, what are you going to tell your parents?" Jackson asked Stephanie as they drove to her house.

"I don't know. But I have to tell them something." She replied.

"What about your sister? She's probably married to that jerk by now."

She sighed. "She'll most likely be the first person I tell about my baby. Now what to tell her, I'm not sure."

"Well, hopefully, she'll be coming back soon so you two can have a nice, long conversation. Until she does, just take some time to yourself. I doubt you'll be ready to tell her everything you've told me by then."

"No, but someday, I will tell her the truth about her bastard of a husband."

"And hopefully it'll be sooner than later."

Soon they arrived at Stephanie's house.

"Well, here we are." She said. "Thank you so much...for everything."

"It's my pleasure. Remember, I'm here if you need to talk or anything." He grasped her hand gently.

She placed her other hand over his. "I appreciate it."

She got out of the car and walked into the empty house. She sighed loudly.

'Home at last.' She thought to herself. Now the question was how was she going to deal with the aftermath of her daughter's birth?


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5

The next day, Xandra and Taker hit the road and were headed back to Connecticut, now as a married couple with an infant daughter.

"Thanks for sticking with me through this situation." Taker said to his bride. "I know this adjustment hasn't been easy on you, but I'm proud of you for taking on this challenge so bravely."

"I'm honored to call you my husband." Xandra stated. "And I just adore Lizzie. I believe that we can make it and be one big, happy family."

He smiled and squeezed her knee as he drove.

Xandra and Taker soon arrived at her and Stephanie's home.

"I bet Stephanie will be surprised to see me."

"Yeah, she deserves to be the first to know that we're married."

"Yeah. I'm almost afraid of her reaction."

"Love, there's nothing to be afraid of. She may be upset at first, but she'll come around to the idea eventually."

"I hope so. Are you sure you don't want to come with me?"

"As much as I'd love to, I've got stuff to handle at my place. I need to make it more like home for Lizzie."

"OK." They kissed and she got out of the truck. She walked to the house and went inside.

"Stephanie!" She called. "Steph, are you here?"

"Xandra? Is that you?" Stephanie answered.

"Yeah, it's me!"

Stephanie came running down the stairs to see her little sister standing in the living room.

"Xandra!"

"Stephanie!"

They ran towards each other and embraced tightly.

"Oh, Xandra...I'm so glad to see you."

"Me too. So much has gone on since the last time I saw you. When was the last time I saw you?"

"It was before Christmas and I remember having contractions-"

"Oh, my God! The baby! I almost forgot! Did you have the baby?"

"Yeah, I did, but there's something you should know."

"What happened?"

"My baby..." Stephanie's voice hitched in her throat. "She...she was stillborn."

"Oh, my..." Xandra gasped. "I am so sorry, Stephanie. How are you doing?"

"I'm...I'm hanging in there. Just doing the best I can. It still stings, but I just need to soldier on with my life."

"Oh, Stephanie. I should have been there for you."

"It's all right. Really. You're here now and that's all that matters."

"I guess."

"Enough about me. Where have you been?"

"Well, Taker came by and proposed a little getaway for Christmas. It was spur of the moment and I didn't have time to call you and tell you what was going on."

"So where did you go?"

"We went to Massachusetts to get away from the city. It is so lovely in the winter time. And guess what?"

Stephanie braced herself for Xandra's next words. She knew what was coming. "What?"

Xandra held up her left hand, where a simple gold band rested on the ring finger. "We got married!"

"Oh, Xandra!" Stephanie said, excited for her sister, despite who she had married. "Congratulations! I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks! You're the first to know."

"What? You didn't tell Mom and Dad? Do they know where you were?"

"Again, it was spur of the moment and I didn't have time to tell anyone. Plus, my phone went missing while I was away. I have no idea where it went."

"Oh, man. Well, whatever. You're back and you're married!"

"I know, I still can't believe it. Well, what are you waiting for? Let's call Mom and Dad and tell them what's been going on."

"Steph, do you think you're ready to talk about the baby? Mom and Dad were looking forward to their first grandchild."

"It's OK. They still have Shane's baby to enjoy. I think I should tell them face to face. But go ahead. Use my phone to call them."

"Thanks, Steph." Xandra ran upstairs to call her parents.

Stephanie sat down in a nearby chair and sighed.

'So Xandra really married that bastard.' She thought to herself. 'OK. I'll let them have their newlywed bliss...for now. But when Taker least expects it, the truth will come out...and God help him if he's laid an unfavorable hand on our daughter.'


	6. Chapter 6

Part 6

Stephanie was on her way to her parents' house to tell them about her baby. She knew she couldn't tell them the truth. Thankfully, Xandra didn't tell them anything about Stephanie, as she had expected. Xandra had decided to respect her sister's wishes and let her tell them on her own. She appreciated that very much. She believed that they needed to hear it come from her, even though it wasn't the truth.

She rang the doorbell. Soon Vince opened the door.

"Stephanie!" He said, surprised to see his first born daughter standing there.

"Dad!" She said as she hugged him.

"Where have you been?" He asked. "Your mother and I have been trying to get a hold of you since last week. We were worried you had fallen off the face of the earth."

"Well, not exactly. I have something to tell the both of you."

"Come on in." He told her.

She walked through the front hall and saw Linda coming down the stairs.

"Stephanie! What a nice surprise!" Linda went over to embrace her.

"Hi, Mom. How are you?"

"Better now that I'm laying eyes on you again."

"Well, I came by to talk to both you and Dad."

"What are we waiting for?" Vince and the ladies went into the kitchen where Linda got Stephanie a glass of water.

"So...where exactly have you been?" Linda asked.

Stephanie took a deep breath. She had been dreading this conversation since she had left the hospital. She knew she couldn't be honest with them and come out and say her daughter had been kidnapped by Taker. She knew Vince would make a big deal out of the whole thing, and she really didn't want her parents to stress out as much as she thought they would.

"The truth is that I was in the hospital."

"The hospital? Did something happen to the baby?"

"Well...unfortunately, yes. I went to the office a couple of days before Christmas, while having bad contractions."

"You should have told us." Vince stated. "We would have taken you to the hospital."

"I know, but my baby was stubborn...a true McMahon, you would say...and wanted to make their debut earlier than expected. Besides, Xandra had just left and I was planning on calling her, but before I knew it, my water had broken and my baby was coming."

"What happened?" Linda asked.

"I was arguing with someone-"

"What? You know better than that. Too much stress-" Vince said."

"I know, I know, it wasn't good for the baby. But someone was getting on my nerves and I couldn't help myself from fighting back. Luckily, Taker showed up when he did."

"Taker?"

"Yeah. He walked in on the argument and told the guy off, then he took me to the hospital, where I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Only..."

"What?"

Tears formed in Stephanie's eyes as she prepared to break her parents' hearts. "She didn't make it. She came out not breathing. They couldn't revive her..." She started crying as she spoke.

"Oh, Stephanie..." Linda went over to comfort her oldest daughter. "I'm truly sorry. We both are. We know how much your baby meant to you."

"She had become my world. I would have done anything for her. But I couldn't help her when she needed it the most."

"There was nothing you could do." Vince sadly pointed out. "The doctors did everything they could to help her, but unfortunately, she couldn't be saved."

"I feel so horrible. I know how much you were looking forward to being grandparents for the first time."

"Stephanie, this was not your fault. Just know that."

"I can't help but think it was just a little bit. Maybe if Taker had gotten me to the hospital sooner..."

"Honey, I don't know if that would have made a difference." Linda said.

"Maybe I wasn't meant to be a mother."

"Don't say that. You did everything right. This was just an unfortunate case of something the doctors couldn't solve."

"I believe you would have made a truly wonderful mother." Vince added. "And I still believe you will, someday. It just wasn't in the cards yet."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry." Linda said. "Again, this was not your fault. Don't feel you constantly have to beat yourself up over this."

"I'm trying not to."

"I know it's not easy, but at least you got to hold her for a little while and say goodbye to her. That should be some comfort."

"It is, I guess."

"You know we're here if you need anything." Vince reassured.

"I know. Thanks...especially for listening and understanding."

"Anytime." Vince kissed her on the cheek.

'OK. One less thing to worry about.' She thought to herself. 'Now to focus on facing Taker...and hopefully getting my daughter back.'


	7. Chapter 7

Part 7

"Are you almost ready?" Xandra asked Stephanie. Xandra was getting the place ready for Taker to come over for the first time since their wedding.

"Yeah, I'm ready." Stephanie said as she came down the stairs. "Need any help?"

"I'm actually pretty much done. I can't believe you're going to meet Lizzie for the first time!"

Xandra and Stephanie had had a couple of conversations about seeing Xandra's new stepdaughter. Xandra, along with the rest of the family, was concerned that Stephanie didn't want to see a baby for a while, but Stephanie had told them it would be all right. She had hoped it wouldn't affect her too much.

The doorbell rang and Xandra went to answer it. She opened the door to see Taker holding a baby carrier with Carter inside, sleeping.

"Hi!" She said excitedly, yet quietly so she wouldn't wake the baby.

Taker kissed Xandra and made his way into the living room. "So how's Stephanie?" He asked.

"She's doing good, but I still have my worries."

"Well, after she sees Lizzie, I think she'll be OK."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I think that she needs to meet her. She needs to believe that she can have another kid, so she can move on past this rough period in her life. I think that she can be happy someday like we are now."

"That's so nice of you to say that."

Stephanie walked into the room. "Hello, Taker. Congratulations on marrying my sister."

"Thank you. I know you weren't accepting of our relationship at first, but I hope that now that I'm Xandra's husband, that you can be a little friendlier towards me."

Stephanie couldn't help but think about all that Taker had done, from the rapes to kidnapping their daughter.

"I think I can do that." She said.

"Good." Xandra said. "Would you like to hold Lizzie?"

"Sure."

"I mean, if you think you can handle that."

"No guarantees."

"OK." Xandra carefully picked up the sleeping Carter and handed her to Stephanie. "Here you go. Meet your niece, Lizzie."

Stephanie looked down at her with a smile on her face. "Hi there. I'm Stephanie. I'm your aunt. Nice to meet you, Miss Lizzie." Carter stirred but didn't wake up.

Taker watched Stephanie hold his daughter, their daughter, very carefully. He was hoping she didn't get too attached or realize that this was her baby.

"She's adorable. I wish she wasn't sleeping so I could get a better look at her."

"OK, I think it's time to let Lizzie sleep undisturbed." Taker spoke up.

"You're right." Stephanie said as she handed Carter back to Xandra, who put her back in her carrier.

"Well, I guess we'd better get going." Taker said. "We've got lunch reservations."

"Let me grab my purse and we can go." Xandra said.

"OK."

Xandra left and Taker turned to Stephanie. "I was telling Xandra that you needed to meet Lizzie, so you can see that there's hope for you to have another baby someday."

"You mean to replace the baby that you stole?"

"Now, Stephanie-"

"I'm OK with my sister raising a child of yours, don't get me wrong. But trust me, I'll never forget the baby we had, wherever she is."

"What makes you think I still have her?"

"You don't have the balls to give her away."

"What if I did?"

Stephanie was about to answer when Xandra came back in.

"I'm ready. Let's go."

"OK." Taker picked up the carrier and walked out the door.

Xandra started to go out the door, but turned back and hugged her sister.

"What was that for?" Stephanie asked, confused.

"For being so strong just now. I know that wasn't easy for you, knowing what you'd gone through. But you handled it well. You looked like a natural."

"Thank you."

"You can get through this. You have me, as well as the rest of the family, to help you."

"Thanks, sis. I needed to hear that."

"I'll be back later. Don't wait up."

"OK."

Xandra walked out the door and Stephanie shook her head.

'She's so in love with him. And she doesn't even know what he's done to me...or our daughter. That's OK. She can be happy for now. But the mask can stay on for only so long before Taker reveals his true colors...or I reveal them for him.'


	8. Chapter 8

Part 8

Stephanie was lying on her bed. She welcomed the peace and quiet, yet she hated the thoughts that plagued her in those times. They were mainly about her newborn daughter and how she would destroy Taker if she ever found out that he had been truthful when he'd said what he said about her disappearance.

Suddenly Stephanie's phone rang. She picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hi, Stephanie."

"Who is this?"

"It's me, Jackson."

"Jackson! Hi! I didn't expect you to call me."

"Well, I promised I'd keep up with you after you left the hospital. So here I am."

"You're so sweet."

"So...how are you holding up?"

Stephanie sighed. "I'm trying. It's just hard to go through the motions sometimes."

"Any luck finding your daughter?"

"No, unfortunately. But Jerkface has hinted that he gave her away."

"No! He wouldn't do that to his own daughter."

"Says who? He probably wants to erase any evidence of him raping me from existence, so I don't know what he's capable of doing anymore. He'll do anything to make himself look good in my sister's eyes."

"Up to and including hiding the fact that he raped you on the same night he proposed to her."

Stephanie scoffed. "Get this. He's now got another baby."

"What? Another baby?"

"Yeah. Supposedly he had a one night stand with someone else before he met Xandra and is now raising her kid along with my sister."

"Boy, he certainly loves spreading his seed around."

"Tell me about it. It makes me wonder if I'm not his only victim."

"Nah, despite him being a total douche, I doubt he's a serial rapist. You seem to be the only one he wants to sleep with."

"Thanks a lot."

"Speaking of which, I hate to ask this, but what if your sister ends up pregnant by him, too?"

"Oh, God!" Stephanie genuinely hated the idea of Xandra actually being intimate with Taker. "I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit."

"It's just a thought. With their marriage obviously came a wedding night, so they must have-"

"Stop!" Stephanie groaned.

"I'm sorry, but you now have to consider the possibility of her having his child sooner or later."

"God forbid. He's already a dead man walking in my eyes. If he did that with my sister, I'll kill him with my bare hands."

Jackson couldn't help but laugh as he pictured Stephanie choking the life out of her brother-in-law. "Remind me never to piss you off."

Stephanie laughed. "Don't worry. My anger is focused on only one person these days."

"Well, at least you're laughing. Doesn't it feel good?"

"Yeah, you're right." She had to admit she hadn't had a good laugh in a long time. She missed the feeling. "I guess I should thank you."

"You're welcome. Laughing makes you more beautiful."

"Oh..." Stephanie blushed. It had been a long time since anyone called her beautiful. "You're too kind."

"Thanks. You know I care about you and I want the best for you and your daughter."

"Thank you. I appreciate that so much."

"You're welcome. My lunch is almost over, so I'd better get back to work. But we'll talk again."

"You can count on that."

"OK. Bye."

"Bye."

Stephanie hung up, smiling. She appreciated the new friend she had made in Jackson. And to hear that he cared about her and Carter? It made her smile even more. Could it be that she...She shook her head. She knew she liked him, but it wasn't possible that she liked him in that way. Was it?


	9. Chapter 9

Part 9

Xandra and Taker were at their new house Taker had just bought just for his new family. She had just put Carter down for a nap when Taker called for her.

"Yes, love?" She answered.

"Can you come here for a minute?" He requested.

"I'll be right up."

Xandra covered Carter up and made her way to the bedroom. She walked in and discovered Taker standing by the window, shirtless and wearing black jeans. Xandra had to smile, knowing why he'd summoned her there.

"Hello, Taker."

He turned to see his bride at the door and smiled back at her.

"My Xandra..." He opened his arms to her. She strode across the room and went into them. Their lips connected instantly. She wrapped her arms around his waist as the kiss deepened.

They made their way to the bed in the center of the room. Taker broke the kiss and started to undo the buttons on Xandra's blouse. He opened it to reveal a nude colored bra.

Taker sighed. "I swear, you get more beautiful every day."

Xandra blushed at her husband's compliment. "I'm nothing special."

"Nonsense. You're my wife. That makes you very special. Let me show you how special you are to me."

He kissed her on the forehead and eased the blouse off of her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. He ran his fingers lightly across her exposed skin just above her breasts. She responded by running her hands up his chest.

His hands made their way to her back and undid the clasp to her bra, then slid it off of her torso. She reached up and led his lips to hers again.

He laid her on the bed as their kiss continued, their hands roaming each others' upper body.

He undid the button on her white jeans, slid the zipper down, then slid them off of her legs. She was now left only wearing black panties.

He laid back beside her and began kissing her neck. She softly moaned his name and ran her hands through his hair, which he had been growing out recently.

He looked up at her and saw...

'Remember me, Deadman?'

Stephanie laid before him, torn clothes adorning her body, tears streaking her face.

'You!' He thought.

'You'll never be with my sister.' The vision of Stephanie stated coldly. 'You'll never have her.'

'Damn it, go away!'

'No! I'll never let you get away with doing to her what you did to me.'

'You don't control me! I love Xandra too much to hurt her.'

'You don't love her! If you really loved her, you wouldn't have raped me right after you proposed to her, would you, Taker?'

"Taker?"

He snapped out of his thoughts to find Xandra staring at him, concern gracing her face.

"Is everything all right?"

He sighed and shook his head. "Xandra...I'm sorry. I can't do this." He sat up and placed his head in his hands.

She sat next to him and placed her arms around him. "Taker...talk to me. Tell me what's wrong."

But he couldn't. What was he going to say? 'I'm sorry, but I can't make love to you because I raped your sister.' Of course not!

He looked at her, not knowing how his next words would come out.

"Xandra...I love you. I love you so much. But I..." He took a deep breath. "I just need some time." He stood up and walked out of the room.

"Taker?" She called after him, but he didn't stop. "What is going on with him?" She wondered out loud. "It's like he doesn't want to be with me at all. Why?" A tear escaped her eye as she began to worry. "Was it me? What did I do so wrong that he doesn't want to make love to me anymore? If only he'd talk to me and tell me what's going on."


	10. Chapter 10

Part 10

Stephanie had just gotten out of the shower and was drying her hair when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, sis, it's me." Xandra's voice was on the other end.

"Xandra! What's going on?"

"Are you busy? I need to talk to someone."

"No. As a matter of fact, I was going to go to the mall and walk around."

"Would you like some company?"

"If you mean yourself, definitely!"

"Do you mind if I bring Lizzie along? Will you be OK with seeing her?"

"I don't mind at all. She can come along. Let's make it a girls' outing. But what about Taker?"

"He left early this morning, and I don't know where he is." Xandra confessed.

"That's not like him to just disappear like that."

"I know, and I'm worried. But I want to talk to you in person about that."

"That's fine. Let me get dressed and I'll see you in a while."

"OK. Bye."

"Bye."

Stephanie hung up and felt a sense of dread come over her. 'Taker, what are you doing now? I swear, if you're mistreating my sister, you'd better not let me find out. Don't forget, I know several of your dark secrets. I still hold the power to bring your world crashing down around you. You'd better watch how you treat Xandra, or she will find out the truth about her husband.'

Meanwhile, Taker was on his motorcycle, riding down the highway. He often rode down this particular stretch of road when he needed to clear his mind...and did he ever need to clear it.

His mind went back to this morning, before he'd left the house.

*Flashback*

Taker was buttoning up his shirt as he looked over at Xandra, who was still sleeping.

He sighed longingly. "My love..."

He went into his closet and reached up to grab a journal. He'd started writing in it every now and then ever since he'd met Xandra. He sat down in a chair in the corner of the room and began to write.

"Dear Journal...I don't know how much longer I can go without making love to my Xandra. I owe her a proper wedding night, but I haven't been able to give it to her. It's always been ruined by visions of...her.  
She haunts my dreams at night and tortures me every time I'm alone with Xandra. She won't leave me alone! I see her standing there and it scares me to death. I know that everything I did was wrong, but only now am I beginning to feel...guilt over it all, I guess. I don't know what led me to do it all in the first place, but for the first time since it happened, I feel ashamed.  
I don't know if I'm just saying that because of this need to be with Xandra, but I want these nightmares to stop so I can finally enjoy being with my wife for the first time.  
I know she's probably concerned about me, but she can't know what I've done. I have a family with this woman now and I'm not going to jeopardize it in any way. She can't ever find out the truth."

He finished writing and stared at his sleeping bride.

'You have no idea what you mean to me...you and Lizzie are my world. I'll do anything to make sure it stays that way.' He thought.

He pulled out a piece of paper from his journal.

"You look so beautiful, I couldn't bear to wake you up. I'm just going out for a few hours. I'll be back as soon as I can. Give Lizzie a kiss for me. I love you both."

He stood up, walked over to the bed and placed the note next to Xandra.

He brushed her hair away from her forehead and gently laid a kiss on the top of Xandra's head. "I love you so much." He whispered softly.

*End of flashback*

Taker continued to ride as he thought of Xandra and Lizzie.

'I'm sorry, Xandra. I don't want to hurt you or Lizzie. But the more I think about everything I did to your sister...and your niece, the more I fear losing you. I'll be damned if I let anything come between us. That's why you can never know the truth about what I've done. It's better this way. You, Lizzie, and I will have our happily ever after. Just the three of us against the world...and that includes Stephanie.' 


	11. Chapter 11

Part 11

Xandra and Stephanie had just finished shopping and were at a restaurant eating lunch. Carter was sleeping in a stroller by their table.

"So you wanted to talk to me about Taker." Stephanie said. "What's going on?"

Xandra took a deep breath. "Well...we've been married for almost a month now, and we haven't...you know."

"You haven't..." Stephanie realized what she meant. "Oh, I see. What's wrong? Is he dead where it counts?"

Xandra blushed. "No, nothing like that. We start off great, but then..."

"Yeah?"

"He seems to get distracted by something. I don't know what, but it's enough for him to make him stop right in the middle of it."

"Really? That's odd. When Taker really wants something, he usually gets it. I would think it was the same in the bedroom."

"Well, it's not...at least not between us. I'm really concerned about him. I understand him being a new father has to be a big change for him, but he's doing really well with Lizzie. She has no complaints."

"I believe that." Stephanie said as she gazed at Carter.

"But what else could possibly be going on with Taker? Why won't he make love to me?" Tears began pooling in Xandra's eyes. "Do you think there's another woman?"

"Xandra..." Stephanie thought about what she could say, but she knew it couldn't end with 'Your loser of a husband won't sleep with you because he raped me.' "Xandra..." She started again.

"Yeah?"

"I don't claim to know what goes on in Taker's mind, but I do know that he loves you and is committed to you. I highly doubt that there's anyone else."

"So what is it then?!" Xandra cried. "What is stopping him from being with me?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you that. That has to be a conversation between you and Taker."

Xandra sighed in frustration. "I know, but what if he doesn't want to talk about it, whatever it may be?"

Stephanie realized that this may be the opportunity that she needed for Xandra to find out the truth about the man she married.

"Xandra." She said firmly. "If you want answers, you have to make him talk to you. Bring up all your concerns to him. Ask him to tell you the truth. That's all. Maybe you'll find out, maybe you won't. But push him to open up to you. Don't give up. Make him tell you the truth, no matter how ugly it may be to hear. Who knows? You might find out something that you didn't know about him, and that could change your relationship, maybe for the better."

Xandra looked at Stephanie. She knew her sister was right. She knew she had to take a leap of faith and discuss this with Taker.

"You're right. I guess we do have some things to talk about." She confessed.

"And Xandra? One more thing. I hope you're prepared for whatever he might tell you. It could be pretty devastating for you."

"I hope not. I don't want to wind up divorcing him before we've had the chance to truly be together."

"Xandra..." Stephanie took her hand in hers. "It's OK. I don't think he wants you to leave him. But know this...if what he tells you is really disturbing, you have the right to say that you don't want to be married to him anymore. Don't let him try to convince you otherwise. Stand your ground. If you don't like what he has to say, it's OK to leave him. Just remember, you always have my support. My door is always open. You can come back home with me...that is, if it gets to that point."

Xandra smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Stephanie." She wiped the tears from her eyes.

At that moment, Carter woke up and started crying.

"What's the matter, Miss Lizzie?" Xandra said to her stepdaughter. She wrinkled her nose and immediately figured it out. "Uh-oh. Someone needs their diaper changed."

"Come on, ladies." Stephanie said. "I think we all could use a trip to the restroom."

The trio headed to the family bathroom. Xandra had just set Carter on the changing table when her phone rang.

"Oh, that's Dr. Mickelson. I need to take this. Could you change Lizzie for me?"

"No problem."

"Thanks, Auntie." Xandra stepped outside to take her call.

"All right, young lady. Let's get you nice and clean."

She removed the dirty diaper and disposed of it. She was wiping Carter when she noticed something on her leg.

"What's that?" She looked at it closely. "Oh, it's just a birthmark. But why does it look-"

Suddenly a memory popped into Stephanie's head. She was watching the nurse bathe her newborn daughter. She had made sure to notice any marks on her skin. She remembered seeing a similar birthmark on her daughter's leg.

She realized that's why it looked so familiar. It reminded her of her daughter that Taker had stolen. But why would she notice the birthmark? Unless...

"Lizzie...you look just like my little girl." Stephanie confessed quietly. "She had a birthmark right where yours is. Now that I can get a good look at you...you have such beautiful green eyes...and your hair is a similar shade of brown...like mine..." A frightening realization came to Stephanie's mind.

"Lizzie...or should I say, Carter. Are you my daughter?"

Carter looked at Stephanie and smiled. Stephanie's hand flew to her mouth and tears came to her eyes. "My baby..." She whispered.

"Hey, Steph." Xandra called. "Is everything all right in there?"

"Yeah. Just finishing up in here." She finished wiping Carter and put a fresh diaper on her, then put a new dress on her. She picked her up and just looked at her.

"You look so pretty." Stephanie told her. "Just like your mommy."

Xandra walked back into the restroom. "Sorry about that. I had to reschedule my appointment for 2 weeks from Thursday. Family emergency. Then, as soon as I hung up, Trina called." She took Carter from Stephanie's arms and put her back in her stroller. "Who's a pretty baby? Who's a pretty baby? Yes, you are."

Stephanie watched Xandra as she played with her stepdaughter...Stephanie's daughter.

'Oh, Xandra...' She thought. 'Look how Taker has deceived you yet again. You're playing with your own niece and you don't even know it. I hope you take my words to heart...and I hope Taker tells you the truth tonight. Because if he doesn't...I will be the one to do so.'


	12. Chapter 12

Part 12

Xandra and Carter came home to find that Taker hadn't come home yet. She was a little disappointed. She was now a woman on a mission, determined to get some answers from him.

She was in the middle of feeding Carter when she heard Taker's motorcycle pull up outside.

"Finally." She said. "Your daddy and I have a lot to talk about."

Taker walked in to the kitchen and watched as Xandra fed his daughter.

'She's so good with her.' He thought. 'I knew she'd be a good mother. If only I wasn't keeping all of these secrets from her. She doesn't deserve this.'

Xandra looked up at Taker and smiled. "Hi, honey."

"Hello, love." He walked over to her and kissed the top of her head. "Did you two miss me while I was gone?"

"Of course. We always miss you."

"So how did my two favorite ladies pass the time?"

"We spent the day with Stephanie."

"Stephanie?"

"Yeah. We went shopping, and we had lunch. We had some great conversation."

"How did she seem?"

"Oh, she looked great. Happy and always the concerned older sister."

"What did she have to say?"

"Well, she gave me some good advice on how to deal with a personal situation."

Taker began to get concerned. He was wondering if Stephanie had told Xandra about everything he'd done to her.

"Well, how are you doing? Is everything all right with you?"

Xandra took a deep breath. "Well, not quite. We need to talk."

'Uh-oh...' He thought. 'She did tell her!'

"Let me put Lizzie to bed and then we can talk, OK?" She kissed him.

"OK."

Xandra took Carter and exited the kitchen. Taker walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. He put his head in his hands. His mind was racing. All of the moments from Xandra's and his relationship ran through his head.

'This is it.' He thought. 'I'm about to lose her. Stephanie told her everything, I just know it! I'm going to lose her, and I'm never going to see my little girl again. Damn it, Stephanie. What have you done?'

"Taker? Are you all right?"

He looked up to see Xandra standing in front of him.

"Honestly...no, I'm not."

Xandra sat down next to him on the couch. "Taker...is something going on that you want to tell me about?"

"I don't know. Should there be something?"

"Taker...you know we haven't been together intimately since we got married. I mean, just as we're about to get into it, you stop and run away. I'd like to know why."

He didn't know what to say to her. He certainly couldn't confess all the sins he had committed against her sister. But this issue was coming between them, and he didn't want that at all.

"Taker?" She asked again.

"Xandra..." He took in a deep breath. "I don't know how to say this..."

"Just tell me. It's OK, whatever it is. Let me help you."

"I love you, you know that, right?" She nodded. "And I want to be with you so much that it hurts."

"But..."

"But...I just..." He sighed.

"Taker?"

"I heard from Lizzie's mother recently."

"Lizzie's mother?"

"Yeah. We had a conversation recently and it just got to me really bad."

"What did she say?"

"Oh, all sorts of crap. How I'm not going to be a good father, how I shouldn't be allowed to have a kid...man, she was so angry at me."

"But didn't she just give Lizzie to you?"

"She did, and now she's upset and wants her back."

"What?"

"She did a total 360 on me. It's like do you want me to raise her or not? I just don't understand her."

"Wow. Can you send her pictures to see how Lizzie has grown under our care?"

"The truth is, she doesn't know about you and I don't want to inflict her on you. You're still so innocent and new to raising a child. I don't want to make life complicated for you."

"Well, I guess I understand that. Is there anything else?"

"As a matter of fact, there is something else."

"What is it?"

"Well...it's Stephanie."

"Stephanie?"

"Let's just say she's not helping matters. We argue all the time about my relationship with you, that you can find someone better, all that."

"Well, she hasn't always been supportive of us, but I thought things had gotten better between you two."

"I wish I could say that."

"Maybe you should have a talk with her like she did with me."

"And what exactly did she say?"

"She said that it's OK if I'm having second thoughts about being married to you."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, she said that I have the right to an annulment if things aren't working out."

"Sadly, she is right about that. But...you don't want to leave, right?"

"Well, I've been bracing myself for the worst before you came in. I was worried that you were cheating on me, or you didn't find me attractive, and that was why you didn't want me."

"Oh, Xandra..." He said, taking her in his arms. "Believe me when I say that I do want you. I want you and no one else but you. Plus, I think you're the most beautiful woman in the world. Especially since you put up with me on a daily basis." He ruffled her hair, and she smiled in response. "And you're the best stepmother to Lizzie. She loves you so much, and so do I."

"I love you, too." She gave him a lingering kiss. "But don't scare me like that ever again. Come to me when you are having problems. I can help you through them. That's what a good wife does, right?"

"Right. And I can definitely say that you are the best wife I know."

"Oh, Taker..." She kissed him, and the kiss deepened almost immediately. Taker tightened his arms around her.

They pulled apart and stared into each other's eyes.

"How about I show you how much I want you?" He said huskily.

Xandra nodded. He stood up, gathered her in his arms and carried her upstairs to their bedroom. He laid her down on the bed, lay next to her and kissed her softly.

He pulled away from her, and saw...

His wife. The woman he loved, the stepmother to his daughter...who happened to also be her niece. But Taker didn't want to focus on that at that moment. He leaned in to kiss Xandra again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. He moved his lips down to her neck, and she sighed in pleasure.

Suddenly he pulled away from her.

"What's the matter?" She asked, concerned.

"I'm sorry. This doesn't feel quite right." He confessed.

"Why?"

"I don't know, but it just doesn't. I mean, I really want to make love to you."

"So what's stopping you?"

"I guess I want to give you the wedding night you truly deserve."

"I understand. So why not get married again?"

"Say what now?"

"Let's have another ceremony."

"Another..." Taker was surprised to hear this idea coming from her.

"Yeah. I mean, last time, I didn't have my family watching me, my dad didn't walk me down the aisle...I think we owe them that much."

Taker thought about it for a second. "You know, you're right."

"I am?"

"Yeah. I mean, it's only right that you have your family by your side this time. I think even Stephanie would like to be there."

"Really?"

"Of course."

"In that case, Taker...will you marry me...again?"

He smiled warmly at her. "Yes. Yes, I will."

They kissed with a newfound happiness in their hearts and new hope for their marriage.

"So when would you like this to happen?" He asked her.

"How about Valentine's Day? It's only right that we do this on the ultimate day of love."

"I love that idea." He hugged her tightly. He was overcome with joy. He had his wife, his daughter and a new reason to live. Now if only he could shake the guilt that he carried from the lie that he was still living...


	13. Chapter 13

Part 13

Xandra and Taker had invited the McMahon family to Vince and Linda's house to share the news about their upcoming vow renewal.

Everyone was gathered in the living room, and they were waiting for Stephanie to arrive.

"Is she even coming?" Linda asked Xandra.

"She'd better. She could use a little joy in her life." Xandra replied. "She seems to have thrown herself back into her work since she lost her baby. But she is wonderful with Lizzie. She loves having Stephanie as an aunt. It's like they're best friends."

"I think if Lizzie wasn't around, Stephanie would have gone insane by now. But she seems to be handling it all quite well."

"Yeah, and she and Taker have even appeared to call a truce. Granted, he hasn't been her favorite person for a few years now..."

"But the one common denominator between them is that they both love you and would do anything to see you happy." Linda embraced her youngest daughter, who smiled in response.

Suddenly the doorbell rang.

"That's got to be Stephanie now." Vince said as he stood up and walked to the front door. He was right. Stephanie stood on the stoop.

"Hi, Dad!" She said excitedly.

"There's my girl. Come on in before you catch a cold."

Stephanie walked in, took off her coat and handed it to Vince, who hung it up. The two hugged, then went into the living room.

"Hi, everybody." She hugged everyone as she greeted them. When she got to Taker, she hesitated before giving him a hug. Taker couldn't believe it, but he decided to go along with it. He knew that at any moment, she could ruin the happiness that he had with Xandra, and that was the last thing he wanted to happen.

Before she pulled away, she whispered in his ear, "I know."

Taker was both confused and stunned at her words. 'What hell is she set to unleash now?' He thought to himself.

Xandra stood up and cleared her throat. "Taker and I have gathered you here to make a special announcement."

"We're listening." Shane said.

"As you know, we eloped on Christmas Eve, and I was instantly thrust into the role of stepmother to little Lizzie. It hasn't been easy for us to adjust to being married, as well as being parents."

'So we decided to get a divorce.' Stephanie thought, hoping that Taker had wised up and told Xandra the truth about what happened between them.

"Plus, we felt bad that you guys weren't there to watch us get married. So Taker and I had a long chat, and we decided to have a second wedding ceremony. The best part is you're all invited."

Stephanie looked at Xandra, shocked by this news. She had hoped that the talk she had had with her would have produced the results she had been longing for. But apparently, it seemed to have had the opposite effect.

"Oh, Xandra!" Linda exclaimed as she hugged her. "That's wonderful!"

"Looks like I'll get my chance to walk my baby girl down the aisle after all." Vince added.

"Yes, you will, Dad." Xandra said. "We've already decided to have it on Valentine's Day. Shane, I know Marissa is due to give birth that week, but I hope you both can make it."

"Trust me, I don't want to miss this." Shane replied. "My baby sister getting remarried to someone I've truly respected for years."

Xandra looked at Stephanie. She knew that Stephanie was trying to be polite for her sake, though she knew that Stephanie wasn't exactly the president of Taker's fan club.

Xandra walked over to her and placed her hand on her shoulder. "Stephanie? How are you feeling?"

"I...I'm just amazed by it all." She said, which wasn't too far from the truth.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

Stephanie nodded.

"Come on." The two sisters walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table.

"Xandra-"

"Stephanie-" The two spoke at the same time. They both laughed, easing some of the tension between them.

"Go ahead." Xandra offered.

"Xandra...I don't..." Stephanie took a deep breath, trying to get her thoughts together. "I don't understand. Just the other day, you and Taker were having issues, and today...you're planning on renewing your vows. What the hell happened?"

"Stephanie-"

"Did you even have a talk with him when he got home? What did he say? What did you say?"

"Stephanie, calm down." Xandra held Stephanie's hand.

"I'm sorry. I'm just curious. What happened when you got home? Was he there?"

"No. He came home a few minutes after I got in."

"Then what?"

"I told him I wanted to talk to him. I told him I thought he was cheating on me and that was why he didn't want to make love to me."

"And what did he say?"

"He told me he was dealing with Lizzie's mother. She suddenly wanted her back and Taker was very stressed about that."

"O.K..."

"Plus he said that you were giving him hell about us."

'That damn liar!' Stephanie thought. 'He didn't even come close to telling her the truth!'

"Stephanie, how do you really feel about us?" Xandra asked.

'I love you and I want to protect you! You deserve so much better than the man who raped me, got me pregnant, and kidnapped our daughter!' Stephanie wanted to scream. But of course, she couldn't.

"Xandra, you know how I feel about Taker-"

"Something tells me I don't."

"Xandra, trust me. There's more to the story than what he's telling you."

"Like what? Are you talking about when he abducted you back in 1999?"

"Yes! He-" Stephanie caught herself just before she'd let out the truth about what he'd done to her. "I'm sorry. I don't want to ruin this for you. I know you're happy with him, but..." She trailed off, tears coming to her eyes.

"Stephanie? What did he do? You obviously know something I don't. So you might as well tell me."


	14. Chapter 14

Part 14

Stephanie wanted to tell Xandra the truth so badly, but she found that she couldn't. It just didn't seem like the time or the place to do so.

"I just don't want him to hurt you." She sobbed.

"He hasn't hurt me yet. But has he hurt you?"

Stephanie looked at Xandra, tears rushing down her face.

"He has." Xandra said softly. "What did he do?"

"It's not what he did. It's what I didn't do."

"What do you mean?"

"Back in 1999, when he first abducted me the night after Wrestlemania..."

"Yeah?"

"He came on to me."

"He did?"

Stephanie nodded. "He was so direct and so forceful. He wouldn't take no for an answer."

"Did you tell Dad?"

"I did, but I didn't tell him who it was, because in a strange way, I felt I had to protect him from Dad. He'd have a cow if he knew his most loyal employee was hitting on his daughter."

Xandra smiled and squeezed her hand. "Man, how times have changed. I remember back when we weren't allowed to get involved with the wrestlers personally. If only Dad knew that a few years later, Taker would be married to his other daughter."

Stephanie smiled through her tears. "Yeah."

"But it didn't go any further than him hitting on you, did it?"

"No. Thankfully, he never did anything else after that. To this day, Dad still doesn't know, and I'm not about to tell him, especially now that he's married to you."

"Oh, Stephanie." Xandra went and hugged her. "I'm sorry you had to experience that."

"No, I'm sorry I never told anyone until now. Normally, Taker is very respectful of the McMahon family. But I don't know what he was thinking that night. I doubt he was under the influence of anything, but still..."

"I know. Now I understand why you're so concerned about me being married to him."

"Yeah."

"Stephanie, granted, I haven't gotten to work with Taker as much as you have, but from the time we've been together, he's only been focused on me and my happiness. He loves me and Lizzie as much as we love him, and I believe it's only going to get better from here. I just hope that someday, you'll get past that incident and accept him as my husband."

"It's going to take some time, but I will try, just for you."

"Thanks, sis. That's all I ask."

"I think I can do that." Stephanie sighed in relief. She hated to keep the truth from her sister, but she believed that her explanation would give her some time to prepare for telling her.

"Great. Now about my wedding...I've always wanted for you to be my maid of honor. Despite you and Taker not being the best of friends-"

"I'd love to." Stephanie said without hesitation.

"Really? Oh, Steph!" Xandra excitedly hugged her. "This is going to be the perfect day!"

"I just want the best for you."

'And I'm going to make sure that it isn't Taker.' She thought to herself. 'I'm not going to give up until he's out of your life for good.'

"Xandra!" Taker called.

"Your husband's calling you." Stephanie said. "You'd better get back out there."

"Thanks, Steph."

"No. Thank you...for understanding my side of things."

"Anytime."

Xandra walked out of the kitchen, leaving Stephanie alone. She went and got a tissue and dried her tears. She looked at her compact to check out her face and decided she was good to go. She went to exit the kitchen and saw Taker standing by the door.

"Taker." She said coolly.

"I thought I'd check in on my favorite sister-in-law. How are you doing, Stephanie?"

"If you must know, I'm getting along fine for someone who's had their daughter kidnapped by her rapist of a father. So I guess congratulations are in order."

"I'll accept that and say thank you...even though your little plan didn't work."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, please. You telling Xandra she had a right to an annulment based on whatever I was going to tell her. Let me guess, you were hoping I'd tell her about our past, right? You were hoping I'd slip up and confess that you were Lizzie's mother. Tell me I'm wrong."

"Among other things, yeah."

"As much I hate to disappoint you, that's not what happened."

"So how did you charm your way out of this one? What did you say to get on Xandra's good side again?"

"I just told her the truth. That there was no one else and that I loved her and only her."

"I didn't come up at all?"

"Just that you weren't happy with our relationship. I couldn't tell her the truth."

"Yeah, that would have helped things." Stephanie said sarcastically.

"Yeah, I bet it would have made you happy, but it would make her miserable, and I just couldn't do that to her."

"Which now leads to you renewing your vows."

"Exactly. But earlier, you told me 'I know.' Just what were you referring to?"

"I know where our daughter is."

"You do?"

"Yes. You thought I wouldn't figure it out? You must think I'm pretty stupid. That I wouldn't remember anything about my baby. Well, I did."

"You did?" Taker asked nervously.

"I sure did. I remembered that she had a birthmark on her left leg. I saw it while I was changing her the other day at the mall. That's when I realized that she was our daughter."

"You should be extremely grateful that I haven't done anything to her."

"Except keep her away from her mother. I've had enough of your sick games. I want my daughter back and I want her back very soon."

"No can do, Stephanie. Once Xandra and I renew our vows, I intend on asking her to adopt Lizzie-"

"Her name is Carter." She said sternly.

"I intend on asking her to adopt my daughter as her own." Taker continued. "I want to make sure that you never get to play any part in her growing up."

"Like you're doing a good job now? Our daughter loves me. She smiles every time she's with me, and her eyes light up so bright when I'm playing with her. Do you even hold her or play with her at all, or do you leave all that for Xandra to do?"

Taker pointed a finger at Stephanie. "Don't you dare question how I raise my daughter."

"She's our daughter and she deserves to be with me."

"That's another thing. You can't just go and accuse me of kidnapping your daughter. You've already told everyone that your baby died. How do you think everyone will react when you tell them this? It's only going to make you look bad."

"Not as bad as you're going to look."

Taker opened his mouth to respond when the kitchen door burst open, and Shane walked in.

"What's going on, you two?" He said calmly as he got a bottle of champagne. "Mom sent me in here to grab some drinks for us so we can toast Taker and Xandra's vow renewal. I presume you will be joining us?"

"We'll be right there." Stephanie answered.

"Good." He went to leave, but then turned back to them. "You know, if it makes you feel better, I haven't told anyone about you two hooking up, nor do I intend to. But I suggest you two get your stories straight, and tell Xandra before the vow renewal. Just saying."

He left them and went back into the living room.

"As I was saying, what are you going to do? Say 'Oh, I'm sorry I lied about my supposedly dead daughter'? That you had with your sister's husband, no less! Do you honestly expect to come out of this unscathed?"

"It doesn't matter what happens to me anymore. I'm only thinking about OUR little girl and getting her, and my sister, away from her bastard father. Taking away everything you love has become my new mission in life, and I won't rest until you are out of my sister's life and out of my daughter's life. You can count on that."

Stephanie walked away from Taker, smiling triumphantly. For once, she was able to leave Taker with his thoughts. And soon enough, she hoped she would wind up leaving him with nothing.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Stephanie was at home, reading a romance novel. She was both thankful for the quiet, yet cursing it at the same time. She couldn't get her mind off of the fact Taker had her daughter and was raising her with Xandra, who had no idea about what was going on. She knew she needed a game plan to get her daughter back, but what exactly could she do?

Suddenly the doorbell rang.

"Coming!" She said. She wasn't expecting anybody to come by. Maybe it was her mom or her dad, coming to check in on her. Maybe it was Xandra, surprising her with a visit. Maybe...

She opened the door and saw...

"Jackson! Hi!"

"Hello, Stephanie."

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was nowhere near the neighborhood, so I thought I'd drop by."

"Really?"

He laughed. "No, but seriously. I took you home when we first met and I haven't forgotten the address. But you entered my mind today and I thought I'd pay you a visit."

Stephanie had to smile. She was glad that someone she trusted cared about her enough to drive by her house and peek in on her.

"Come on in." She gestured for him to enter.

"Thank you." He walked in and looked around. "Very nice."

"Thank you. Would you like anything to drink?"

"I would like some water, thanks."

"Coming right up."

She got a bottle of water for him then came back out to find him looking at a picture of her and Xandra.

"Is this your sister?" He asked.

"Sure is."

"She's a lovely young lady. Too bad she's married to a kidnapper."

"My thoughts exactly. But I have a feeling that won't last too much longer."

"There you go."

"However, they now plan on renewing their vows on Valentine's Day, only because they had eloped the first time and my parents weren't there for that one."

"Wow. Speaking of the loser, has he given anymore hints about where your daughter is?"

"You won't believe this...but it turns out she's been under my nose this whole time."

"What?"

"Yeah. He and Xandra are actually raising her together, and he's made it his mission to keep her from me."

"Really?" She nodded. "If I could get my hands on him..."

"The line starts after me, buddy." She laughed. "If I could just get the proof that she's my daughter..."

"You mean like a DNA test?"

"Yeah! You know someone?"

"As a matter of fact, I have an uncle who works at a DNA lab, but-"

"Great! Let's do a DNA test."

"Slow down, Stephanie. Are you sure this-"

"Are you kidding? This is perfect! This may be my only chance to prove that Taker is a dirty playing son of a bitch."

"You know what? I want to help you get Carter back anyway I possibly can."

"So you'll help me?"

"Of course."

"Oh, thank you so much!" Stephanie exclaimed as she hugged Jackson excitedly.

"Whoa there. Don't thank me just yet. This isn't cheap by any means."

"I'll pay whatever you want. Seeing the look on Taker's face when he's finally exposed for the sick bastard he is is priceless."

"Fair enough, but the lab takes 2 weeks minimum to get results back."

"I don't have 2 weeks. The vow renewal is next Saturday."

"I could always mark it as urgent and that way it'll get back faster."

"Great! Whatever you have to do, do it. I just want my daughter home with me so bad. This will be the perfect wedding present for my sister...her freedom! With these results, I can finally tell her the truth about her no good husband. Tell me what I need to do."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The minister stood nearby, ready to start the ceremony. Taker stood by her, dressed in a black suit with a matching tie.

"Here Comes The Bride" started to play, announcing the arrival of Taker's wife, who was ready to renew her vows to him.

He looked down the aisle, and his eyes latched onto his bride as she walked slowly down the aisle to the music. He took a deep breath as she walked closer to him. He thought she looked stunning in her white gown and matching veil. Taker's heart swelled at the thought of being forever joined with her.

She reached Taker's side and stood face to face with him.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to once again join Taker and Alexandra in the union known as holy matrimony. Should there be just cause as to why these two should not be married, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

"Actually, I have something to say." A voice was heard.

Taker looked around for the source, but couldn't see anyone. It was just him, his bride, and the minister. He shrugged his shoulders and turned back to his bride. He lifted her veil...to see Stephanie!

"Thought you'd actually get away with it, didn't you?" She said.

"Stephanie?!"

Thunder clapped and darkness overtook the room. Taker tried to move, but looked to find himself tied to his own symbol!

"Let me go!" He yelled.

"How cute. He wants to be free." The Stephanie in the wedding gown taunted him. "Do you hear that, ladies?"

Taker looked around to see a barrage of Stephanies, all in tattered, black dresses, similar to the gown he'd forced her to wear when he tried to marry her. They were all yelling at him, carrying torches and signs that said "Rapist", "Kidnapper", and "Liar".

"Let him burn!"

"Make the bastard pay!"

"Rot in hell!"

"Stop!" He yelled. "Stop this now!"

"Why should we? You didn't!" The Stephanie in the white wedding gown declared. "What do you say, ladies? Should we stop him from getting what he deserves?"

"HELL NO!"

The crowd of angry women rushed toward him. Taker looked for a glimmer of hope, anything to end this madness. Suddenly, he saw a bright light shine on a woman, hand in hand with a teenage girl, in the pack. Taker smiled.

"Xandra!"

The older woman turned around to glance at him.

"Xandra, you have to help me!" He begged. "You have to get me away from here!"

"Who is that man?" The younger girl asked her.

"Oh, he's pure evil. He did terrible things to your mother, which is the reason you're here today."

"Is he...my father?"

"Lizzie? Is that you?" He asked hopefully.

"My name is Carter." She replied simply. "And my mother doesn't want me to have anything to do with you!"

"Wait! Don't go!"

The two faded away, along with the light that shone upon them.

"What are we waiting for ladies? Let's roast this pig!" The Stephanie in the wedding gown ordered.

The crowd descended onto Taker, chanting and yelling.

"No! Stop!" He kept yelling.

"NO!" Taker yelled, jolting up in bed. He was gasping for air.

He turned to see Xandra, sleeping soundly beside him. He heard Carter cooing on the baby monitor from her bedroom. He got out of bed, looked in his nightstand and got out his journal. He went in to the baby's room and saw her sitting up in her crib.

"Hi there, little one." He whispered. "Let me guess, you can't sleep either?" He put down the journal, walked over to her and picked her up. She giggled as he held her close. "Come here." He said as he sat down in the rocking chair. He sang softly to her as he rocked her back to sleep.

"Listen here, little lady. I love you so much. You know that, right?" He said softly. "Soon, your mommy and I will renew our vows. Guess what? She's agreed to adopt you as her own daughter. Isn't that good news?" Carter smiled back at him. "Yes, I agree. But I promise to continue to do whatever it takes to keep you happy and safe, and I know Xandra feels the same way. I've got big things planned for the three of us, and I hope nothing...and no one comes between us ever again."

Soon Carter fell back asleep. Taker kissed her on the top of her head and laid her back in her crib.

"Sweet dreams, princess." He said, covering her up with her blanket. He picked up the journal, sat back down in the rocking chair, and began to write.

Several hours later, Taker woke up to see Xandra standing in front of him, feeding Carter.

"Well, well, well. Daddy's awake." She said to Carter. "Good morning, darling."

"Man. How long was I asleep?" He asked.

"It's only been a couple of hours since I found you sleeping in here. I couldn't bear to wake you up, so I just left you in here and went back to bed."

"Well, I appreciate you not waking me." He stood up and kissed her. "Lord knows I needed to get back to sleep."

"Is everything OK?"

"Yeah. Just working on my vows, that's all."

"You're writing vows for me?"

"Yeah. I thought it'd be a nice surprise to give our wedding our own personal touch."

"Oh, Taker..." She gave him a lingering kiss. "I love it, and I'll love whatever you write."

"Thank you, love." He stretched out and yawned. "Guess I should make us some breakfast. Would you like pancakes?"

"I would love your pancakes."

"I'm on it." He kissed her forehead, and Carter's, then went downstairs.

Xandra put Carter down in her crib and started cleaning up the room. As she cleaned, she found a notebook by the rocking chair. She picked it up and started reading the page it was on, thinking it was the vows that Taker had been writing for her.

"This is going to be my last entry into this journal. On Saturday, I renew my vows to the woman I love, Alexandra McMahon. She will know how much I love her and my daughter, Lizzie. On that day, we will become one family, and the three of us will start our new adventures together. But to do that, I must leave the past behind. She has haunted me for the last time. She almost came between me and Xandra once before, but there's no way I can ever let her get the best of me. Lizzie is in good hands with me and Xandra, and that is where she will stay. Her mother can rant and rave all she wants, but she will never win. I'm doing what is best for all of us, and what is best is putting her out of my mind once and for all. Once Xandra and I renew our vows, that will be the end of the torture she has put me through, and the beginning of my new life."

"Xandra, where did you put the-" Taker entered the room and saw Xandra reading his journal. He'd forgotten he'd left it in Carter's room. He was worried she's read certain parts of it. "Xandra, I can explain-"

"Why didn't you tell me Lizzie's mother was still hounding you?"

"What?"

"Apparently, she's got you pretty riled up, otherwise you would haven't written about it."

"Yeah, well..."

"I told you to come to me when something's bothering you." She reminded him. "Secrets are what almost tore us apart before."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I just..." He sighed. "She's become so persistent in her quest to prove I'm a bad father that she will do anything. She's even threatened to come to our vow renewal."

"What?!"

"I've told her not to. If she really wants to see her daughter, to see me before Friday night. That way, she can meet you and see for herself that we're doing a great job with Lizzie."

"I think that was the best way to go about it. I don't want anything ruining our day, especially some raging witch who hasn't seen her daughter since we've had her."

"Trust me. She won't even think about interfering in our happiness once I have one more conversation with her."

"Good. As long as she gets the message. We're happy and she's not going to destroy that, no matter what."

"I will do anything to make sure that our family stays together. If I have to get tough with her, I will. You and Lizzie are the loves of my life. I just want to protect what's mine."

"You're doing just that, and I'm proud of you." She said, hugging him. Taker returned the hug, keeping his eyes on Carter the whole time.

'Carter, I hate that I'm keeping you away from your mother, but she has to accept that I'm doing it out of love...love for both you and Xandra. Don't worry. Now that Xandra is becoming your new mommy, you'll be raised in a family that will give you everything you need, instead of pain and drama with Stephanie. Just know that I love you and I'm putting you and Xandra first...and Stephanie in my rear view mirror for the last time.'


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Stephanie was getting ready to go out for a drive when her phone rang. She picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, big sis."

"Xandra! Hi! What's up?"

"I was wondering if you were interested in having dinner with me and Lizzie tonight."

"Really?"

"Yeah. We just wanted to spend some time with you alone before my vow renewal tomorrow. You know, just us girls."

"I would love that so much."

"Great. Does 5:30 work for you?"

"It sure does. I'll see you then."

"OK. Bye."

"Bye."

As soon as she hung up, the phone rang again.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Stephanie." Jackson said on the other end. "Guess what I have in my hand?"

"No! You don't mean-"

"Literally just delivered to the lab and handed to me."

"Oh, my God! Well, what do they say?"

"I figured I'd leave it for you to find out for yourself."

"Yes, of course!"

"How about we meet at the park in an hour?"

"I can do better than that. I can be there in 20 minutes."

"OK with me. See you soon."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Stephanie was nervous, yet excited. She was hoping for good news, but she was also ready for anything.

In less than 20 minutes, Stephanie had arrived at the park. She drove around until she saw Jackson's car. She parked nearby, got out and quickly walked to where he was.

"How are you feeling?" Jackson asked her as soon as she reached him.

"I'm feeling hopeful, but there's also some fear mixed in that as well."

"That's understandable. Just take a deep breath." She took several. "Feel better?"

She nodded. "A little. I'll feel more so once I read the results."

"Here you go." He handed her a manila envelope. "I hope you get the answers you're looking for."

"Thanks."

She opened the envelope and pulled out a sheet of paper. She read it slowly.

"Well?"

She looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"It's a perfect match." She said quietly. "Lizzie is my daughter. I found my baby!"

"Oh, Stephanie!" Jackson exclaimed as he embraced her. "That's wonderful!"

"My God...it's like the storm clouds have suddenly vanished and there's nothing but sunshine for miles ahead."

"All right. So now what happens?"

"Now, I get my daughter back, I get my sister away from her bastard of a husband, and he gets as far as he can out of our lives."

"Yes. I have total faith in you."

"Thank you. You know, I couldn't have done this without you. You were there when I needed someone, you gave me the strength to not give up, and you helped me get the truth. I mean, how can I ever repay you?"

"Well, there is one thing you could do."

"Anything. Just name it."

"You have to promise you won't slap me."

"Slap you? Why would I want to-"

Jackson took her face in his hands and lowered his lips to hers. Stephanie placed her hands over his. She was surprised at this turn of events, but to her delight, she actually relished in the good feelings that he was evoking in her.

When he pulled away, he was smiling. To his disbelief, so was Stephanie.

"Does that warrant a slap?" He asked.

"Trust me, slapping you is the last thing I want to do."

He chuckled softly. "Now I know you might not be ready to jump into a relationship just yet, but I was wondering if-"

"I'd love to."

"You don't even know what I'm going to ask you!"

"I have a hunch it's what I think it is, and I'm flattered. But do you think you can handle me with all my issues? Plus, I have a daughter. Are you sure you want to get involved with us?"

"I've come this far, so you know I'm in for the long haul. Besides, I'd like to meet the little girl whom I reunited with her strong and awesome mother."

Stephanie blushed. "It's a date."

"Yes!" He kissed her again. "What are you still doing here? Go find your daughter!"

"Right!" She laughed as they separated and she made her way to her car. First, she had confirmed proof that Lizzie was, in fact, her daughter Carter. Now, she was in love with the guy who had rescued her from being her own worst enemy. Things were finally looking up for Stephanie!


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Stephanie was in a good mood all day long. She felt like she could take on the world...or at least, Taker.

At precisely 5:30, the doorbell rang. She answered it to find Xandra at the door with Carter in her stroller. The two sisters hugged and Stephanie let her guests in.

They all sat down in the kitchen and ate their Chinese food.

"So, are you ready for tomorrow?" Stephanie asked.

"I sure am. Got my outfit together, Mom and Dad have everything set up for the reception afterwards, and they've arranged to take Lizzie for a few nights so Taker and I could have our honeymoon weekend."

"Sounds like you're all set. I have my dress picked out, too."

"Great. You know, it really means a lot to me that you're standing up for me tomorrow. I mean, despite all your problems with Taker, I'm glad to see you two put your differences aside for me for one day."

"Trust me, it's not easy, but Taker definitely has some good karma coming towards him."

"I agree. You look different, for some reason. You actually look...happy."

"Well, I kind of am happy."

"Really? Care to fill me in?"

"Well..."

"Stephanie..."

"OK, OK. I may or may not have met someone."

"What? Are you saying you're in love?"

Stephanie blushed and nodded.

"Oh, my God!" Xandra cried excitedly. "Tell me everything! How did you meet? Is he from WWE? Has he asked you out yet?"

"Slow down!" Stephanie laughed. "OK. He was one of the nurses at the hospital who helped me when I lost my baby."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He and I talked a lot afterwards, and we kind of...clicked."

"Aw!"

"He actually asked me out today...and I accepted."

"Oh, my...this is great! When do I get to meet him?"

"I was thinking about inviting him tomorrow."

"That would be great! But I hope you're ready for Dad to give him the third degree."

"Girl, after going out with Triple H, this should be a piece of cake." She laughed.

The two talked for a while until Carter started crying.

"Uh-oh." Xandra said. "I think Lizzie's mad because we're having so much fun without her." She walked over to her stroller and picked her up. "Now, now, Miss Lizzie. Xandra's here to take care of you." She turned to Stephanie. "Could you watch her for a few minutes? I promised Shane I'd call him back. Marissa's close to her due date and he's a nervous wreck."

"He could use some encouragement from someone who's dealing with a baby." Stephanie said.

"Thanks, Steph. I'll be back soon."

"No problem."

Xandra handed Carter to Stephanie, then exited the kitchen to make her call.

Stephanie was elated to hold her daughter in her arms again.

"Hi, baby girl." Stephanie said. "Don't cry. Mommy's here. Your real mommy. You have no idea how good it feels to hold you in my arms. I see Auntie Xandra has been taking such good care of you. Look how you've grown since the last time I saw you! You are just the sweetest little girl...because you're my little girl. Oh, my sweet Carter Grace...I never lost faith that I'd prove that you were mine, and now here we are. Look at you. You've got my smile, and the most dazzling green eyes. Thankfully, you look nothing like your father...but that's OK. We don't need him. He doesn't deserve to have a beautiful girl like you in his life. Soon, he'll be out of both of our lives, and you and I can be happy together. I promise I'll protect you from the evils of the world, including your father."

Suddenly the door opened.

"I think I've got her calmed down, Xandra. I believe you can-"

Stephanie turned to see Taker behind her.


	19. Chapter 19

Part 19.

"Taker." She said calmly.

"Xandra said you were watching my daughter."

"OUR daughter."

"Let me have her, please."

"Why should I? So you can run away with her again? I don't think so."

"She needs to be with her mother."

"I am her mother. Have you forgotten that little detail?"

"Xandra and I are going to be raising her together, without you getting in the way."

"In the way? How exactly am I 'in the way'? I'm only the person who gave birth to this beautiful baby. As far as I'm concerned, you're the one who's useless in this situation."

"Don't make me-"

"Don't make you what? What more could you do that you haven't done already? You've abducted me, raped me, and taken my child from me. You have nothing left to take from me and you're not running away with Carter again."

"Her name is-"

"Her name is Carter Grace McMahon! She is my daughter and I am NOT letting you get away with what you're doing to her, never mind what you're doing to Xandra. Trust me, when my sister finds out the truth-"

"The truth is you're not worthy of raising my daughter!" Taker yelled.

"Oh, really? Go ahead. I dare you to tell me what makes me unworthy of being in OUR daughter's life."

"You're a damaged woman, Stephanie. Damaged women are the most dangerous women. Who knows the harm they could do to their poor, innocent children? I can't risk anything happening to her."

"Well, you should have thought of that before you raped me then, shouldn't you?"

"Besides, what child would want you as their mother? What kind of mother would allow a rapist near her newborn baby? What kind of woman doesn't tell anyone their child was kidnapped from the hospital just hours after being born? What kind of woman lies about the death of a baby and tries to make herself feel better by living vicariously through her happily newlywed sister? Look at you! You're unstable, you're irresponsible and you're just plain pathetic. You're nothing more than a shell of the woman you used to be."

"And I have you to thank for all of that. You made me this way! You have done nothing but made my life a living hell ever since you first raped me so long ago. I've had to live with the memories, the guilt, and the shame of being your victim. But just when I thought it couldn't get any worse for me...you had to go and do it again. This time, you left me with a little bonus prize...this beautiful little girl I hold in my arms. She's the innocent one in all of this. She had no say whatsoever. If anybody is irresponsible and pathetic, it's you!"

"Stephanie-"

"You listen to me, Deadman. No longer will I stand by and let you guilt me into thinking the worst of myself. No longer will you deny me the right to raise my daughter without an evil person like you in her life. No longer will I be afraid to face myself in the mirror and see myself as someone who should be pitied, who should be afraid and scared of every man she meets. No. Never again."

"Taker!" Xandra called. "Is everything all right?"

"I'll be right there!" He responded. "That's your sister." He said, turning to Stephanie. "Have you forgotten about her? Do you really want to break her heart? She loves that little girl as if she was her own."

"Damn it, Taker..."

"Are you sure you can live with yourself knowing that you'll be the one to destroy Xandra's world as she knows it? Do you think you can handle your little sister being angry at you? She'll hate you so much-"

"Stop it!" Stephanie yelled. "Now you've brought Xandra into your twisted world. She, too, is innocent. Do you think she can handle the truth about her husband? And believe me, she will find out. She'll want nothing to do with you. She'll turn her back on you so fast it'll make your head spin. I honestly can't wait to see that when it happens. But guess what...Xandra should be the least of your worries. Because after all of that...it still won't be over. You're going to be the one living with the memories, the guilt and the shame...not only of being a rapist, but coming between my sister and I, and lying endlessly to the woman you claim to love so much. How will you be able to live with yourself then?"

Taker stared silently at Stephanie, who still held their daughter. He knew she was right, but he was willing to do anything to keep Xandra in his life.

"You do have a point." He said quietly. "I may not deserve everything I have now."

"No, you don't."

"But the bottom line is...I have it and I'm not going to give it up for anyone, especially not you."

He walked over and grabbed Carter from Stephanie's arms.

"What are you doing? Let her go!" She cried.

"Oh, one more thing. Don't get any ideas and show up to our wedding tomorrow. You're no longer invited."

"I'm sorry, since when do you tell me what to do?"

"Since I'm concerned about Xandra and Lizzie. Your presence will bring about unnecessary stress for the both of them."

"Oh, now you're suddenly concerned about OUR daughter? You didn't care that she was separated from her mother for the first 2 months of her life. Granted, Xandra has done a superb job of raising her, but you...you're not exactly a model father."

"Says who?"

"Says her mother."

"Lizzie's mother is Alexandra McMahon. She has agreed to adopt her and raise her as her daughter. It will be made official in just a few weeks."

"No court will allow a child to live with a rapist."

"But no one knows that story, nor will they ever. And regardless...who would they believe? The most respected WWE superstar of all time or a spoiled billion dollar brat who will do and say anything to get what she wants?"

Stephanie shook her head in disbelief. "You are the most evil man I have ever met in my entire life." She said in hushed anger.

"Maybe, but that's just one person's opinion. An opinion that no longer matters to me. I do hope that you have a good life from here on out. Someday you'll find a man who can look past your drama and misery, and he might actually be willing to put up with you. Who knows? Maybe you'll have another daughter to replace the one that you failed." With a wicked smile, he turned and walked out of the kitchen.

"Taker? Taker! Come back here, you son of a bitch!" Stephanie called after him.

Xandra met him at the front door.

"There you are. I was starting to get worried."

"Sorry about that. I was just talking to Stephanie. She looked pretty tired. I don't think she's going to be able to come tomorrow."

"Really? She looked fine earlier. Maybe I should go and check on her."

"No! I mean, it's getting late and we need to go home and put this little one to bed."

"OK. I'm feeling tired myself."

"Let's go." He said, putting her hand on her shoulder and leading her down the front steps.

"I'll call you tomorrow, Steph." Xandra called to her sister. She followed Taker to his truck.

Stephanie watched her leave from the window of the living room.

'Poor Xandra.' She thought. 'She doesn't know what she's gotten herself into.'

She walked upstairs to her room and closed the door. Then she slumped down to the floor and started crying.

"How could he? How dare he do this to Xandra? How dare he not care about his own daughter? Carter is my daughter and she needs to be with me!" She sobbed.

She caught a glimpse of herself in her full length mirror. She stood up and walked slowly to it. She just gazed at her reflection.

"Damn it, Stephanie. Look at yourself. What happened to you?" She asked out loud. "The Undertaker happened to me. He did this to me." She hung her head down in shame. "He's driven me to this hell I'm in."

She looked up at her tear-stained face.

"No. You're not this woman." She told herself. "You are stronger than this. You just proved it. You had the balls to call Taker out for kidnapping your daughter. You confronted him about Xandra. He ran with his tail between his legs. He knows the truth, and he's not willing to face it. There's no more hiding for him...or for you. His reckoning is coming...and you're just the woman to deliver the final judgment."

She wiped the tears from her eyes and stood boldly before the mirror.

"You may have ruined my life, but I will be damned if you even thinks you're going to destroy Xandra's...or Carter's. You've forgotten who I am. Well, Deadman, I am Stephanie McMahon, and you should prepare yourself...because I am about to be your worst nightmare."


	20. Chapter 20

Part 20

It was Valentine's Day. It was also the day of Taker and Xandra's vow renewal.

Xandra was over at her parents' house, getting ready with the help of Linda.

"Oh, Xandra. I can't believe I'm helping my last little girl get ready to walk down the aisle." Linda said as she curled her daughter's hair.

"I know, Mom. I'm so glad that you get to be here for me today."

"We're all here for you, honey. We're here to celebrate you and Taker today."

"I'm glad Marissa gave birth earlier this morning so Shane could make it to our ceremony. I can't wait to meet my new nephew."

"We're all looking forward to meeting the newest member of the McMahon family. Have I mentioned how much I love being a grandmother to little Lizzie?"

"She just loves you. Hell, she loves everybody. She's easy to get along with. She especially loves Stephanie. She can't stop smiling when she's around her."

"She's just what Stephanie needed after losing her baby."

"It's great to see how much they've bonded. Stephanie's a natural at taking care of her. I believe she'll be a great mom someday."

"I believe she'll find a wonderful man that loves her so much and that she's crazy about."

"She truly deserves someone special in her life, especially after Triple H. Though I think she's already found someone."

"Really? What makes you say that?"

"She might have hinted to me that she would be bringing a guest to the ceremony today."

"What?"

"Yes."

"That's wonderful! This is just what she needs...a little happiness and joy."

"I hope this lasts for a good while."

"Who knows? It might just turn into another wedding for the McMahon family."

The two women laughed as they continued to prepare.

Stephanie was getting ready. Despite the fact that she had been officially disinvited by Taker, she was more determined than ever to crash the wedding and finally tell Xandra the truth.

She was brushing her hair when her phone rang. She picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, beautiful." Jackson said on the other end.

"Hello, handsome. Do you have everything I asked for?"

"I sure do. Are you ready to do this?"

"I've been waiting for a long time for this. Now there's nothing except time and opportunity. By the end of the day, I will have my daughter back in my arms, where she belongs."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Taker was all dressed in his tuxedo, and he was putting the finishing touches on his wedding gift to Xandra.

"You have accepted me, and you have accepted my daughter, Elizabeth, as your own...and I would like to know if you would do me the honor of adopting her and legally becoming her mother." He wrote down in a card that he intended to give her at the reception. He'd also had adoption papers drawn up, just waiting for her signature so he could file them as soon as possible.

He put the card in an envelope, just as the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Taker!" Vince said on the other end. "Are you ready to renew your vows to my daughter?"

"I sure am."

"Great! Your limo should be arriving in the next 30 minutes. Are you nervous?"

"Not at all. I've already said 'I do' once before. This time, I'm renewing my commitment to her." 'Hopefully without anyone getting in my way.' He thought to himself.

"That's great. I'll see you at the church, OK?"

"OK. Bye."

"Bye."

He hung up. He sat back in the chair and began to pray.

"Lord, I pray to you that our vow renewal goes perfectly today. I thank you for my two leading ladies, Alexandra and Elizabeth. Please bless them and keep them safe in their travels to the church today. Protect us from any and all evil that threatens us, and keep us on the path of joy and happiness as we celebrate our love today. Amen."

Meanwhile, Stephanie was saying her own prayer.

"Lord, I pray to you to protect my daughter, Carter, and my sister, Xandra, for today is the day of judgment for the Undertaker. Let the truth be known of all of his past sins and may your fury be swift and just for he is more than deserving of your wrath. I pray that you also guide and protect me as I am reunited with my daughter, and my sister is freed from her ties to this evil man who has set forth to destroy my life and my family. I pray that my sister's eyes are finally opened to see who he truly is and what he is capable of. In your name, I pray. Amen."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Stephanie and Jackson were in his car on their way to the church. Stephanie was more than anxious to be reunited with her daughter and finally tell Xandra the truth about everything Taker had done.

"I can not wait to see the look on Taker's face when he sees me." She said. "He thinks he can deny me from being at my little sister's wedding? No way."

"That means you've got him right where you want him. He can't hide the truth any longer."

"And I'm about to make sure my sister knows just exactly who she married."

"I can't wait to watch this all go down. You've proven yourself to be an incredibly strong woman more than worthy of raising your daughter."

"Thank you. I couldn't have gotten through these last couple of months without you and everything you've done to help me."

"I am more than glad to help you out. More than anything, I want to see your sweet smile again."

Stephanie blushed. "Well, once my daughter and my sister are safely away from that manipulative bastard, you'll see me smile a lot more."

Xandra was in the back of the church, admiring herself in the mirror. She wore a white off the shoulder gown with lace throughout, culminating in a mermaid skirt.

"You look so lovely." Linda said. She was dressed in a pale pink suit with matching shoes. "I doubt Taker will take his eyes off of you."

"Thanks, Mom. You know what?"

"What, honey?"

"I wish Stephanie was here."

"Why? What happened to Stephanie?"

"I don't know. Taker came to take us home last night. I told him Stephanie was watching Lizzie. He went in and I think they had a conversation. When Taker came back downstairs, he said that Stephanie wasn't feeling well and that she might not make it today."

"Oh, no! Did he say what was going on?"

"No, he didn't tell me anything, and I didn't get a chance to call her before I came over to your house."

"I hope it's nothing serious. I would think one of us would have gotten a call from her if she was really sick."

"Well, I wish that she and Taker would just talk out their issues, whatever they are, so they can start to get along for Lizzie's sake. I hope there's no drama between them today of all days."

"I don't know. I just have this feeling that there's something else going on there that we don't know about."

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation.

"Xandra, are you ready?" Shane's voice called.

"Just about!" She responded.

"That's my cue to leave." Linda said. "I'll see you out there."

"Thanks, Mom."

Linda kissed her youngest daughter's cheek and walked out of the room.

Xandra heard cooing. She turned her attention to Carter.

"Hi, Miss Lizzie. Are you excited? Today, I marry your daddy, and we become one big, happy family." She said as she tickled her.

Another knock paused her playing.

"I'll be right out!" She called.

"Xandra, it's me." Stephanie's voice called.

"Stephanie!" Xandra rushed to the door and opened it to see Stephanie and Jackson standing there. "Oh, my God!"

"Shhhh." Stephanie hushed her sister.

"Sorry. You made it!"

"I was not missing your big day for anything in the world."

"Oh, Stephanie…" Xandra said as she hugged her.

"You look gorgeous!"

"Thank you." She turned to Jackson. "Is this-"

"Xandra, this is Jackson. He's-"

"I'm one of the nurses who helped Stephanie out at the hospital." Jackson interjected.

"Really? I bet watching Stephanie deliver a dead baby was hard on you." Xandra said.

"Oh, you have no idea." Stephanie stated. "Listen, no one else knows I'm here, but I'll make my way out eventually."

"What's going on?" Xandra asked.

"Trust me, I'll explain everything soon."

"All right. I've got to go meet Dad. Could you do me a huge favor and keep an eye on Lizzie for me?"

"I'd love to."

"Thanks, Steph. I owe you one."

"Don't worry about it. It's my pleasure."

"I'll see you later." Xandra picked up her bouquet and left.

Stephanie and Jackson went over to the stroller where Carter sat.

"Hi, little one!" Stephanie said excitedly as she picked her up. Carter immediately smiled.

"She's definitely your daughter." Jackson said. "She's got your smile."

"Funny how she does it most whenever I'm around."

"She has grown so much since she was born."

"I will admit, Xandra and Taker have been taking good care of her."

"Shame he's a kidnapper."

"And a rapist, and an all around jerk…but he does love her. I do know that much." She kissed Carter's cheek. "I hate to ruin my sister's wedding like this, but she needs to know the truth…and I intend to deliver."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Taker stood at the front of the altar, Shane next to him as his best man. They were waiting for Xandra to make her way down the aisle.

"Nervous, Deadman?" Shane asked.

"Not really. I just know that I love your sister, and she loves me, and we both love Lizzie. That's all we really need to be happy."

"What about Stephanie?"

"What about her?"

"Well-"

Suddenly, "Here Comes The Bride" began to play. The guests stood up, eagerly awaiting Xandra's arrival.

Soon, Xandra appeared, Vince leading her down the aisle. Taker's face lit up with a grin as he locked eyes with his bride. Xandra smiled back at him.

Xandra and Vince made their way to the altar. Vince kissed his youngest daughter on the cheek before letting her go. She stood in front of Taker.

"You look so beautiful." Taker whispered to her.

Xandra blushed and looked down. Taker gently tilted her face up to look at him.

"My Xandra." He gently caressed her face.

She smiled, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate love. More specifically, the love that Alexandra and the Undertaker share. The love that has joined them together and shall unite them today and forevermore.

True marriage begins well before the wedding day, and the efforts of marriage continue well beyond the ceremony's end. A brief moment in time and the stroke of the pen are all that is required to create the legal bond of marriage, but it takes a lifetime of love, commitment, and compromise to make marriage durable and everlasting. Today you declare your commitment to each other before family and friends, your yesterdays were the path to this moment, and your journey to a future of togetherness becomes a little clearer with each new day.

Should there be just cause why Alexandra and the Undertaker should not be married, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

Taker looked around. He was so sure that that was the cue that Stephanie needed to walk in and ruin the ceremony…but no one came out. He could relax knowing that she wasn't about to destroy the day with her accusations. Taker turned back to Xandra and smiled warmly.

"Alexandra and the Undertaker are here to marry each other. No one else's will can create such a union. It is their words, their intentions, their vision, that must define and shape this marriage. So I call upon them now to state their promise before this group: the pledges that will bind them together."

Suddenly, they heard squealing.

"That would be Lizzie." Xandra said.

"I think she needs to be a part of this ceremony." Taker suggested. "I'll be right back."

He turned to head up the aisle…and his smile faded.

Stephanie stood at the end of the aisle, Carter in her arms. Jackson stood next to her.

"Looking for this little one?" She asked calmly.

"As a matter of fact, I am." He said as he walked up to her. "What are you doing here?" He whispered.

"Xandra, I have something to tell you. I don't know how you'll take it…but it needs to be said."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"I thought I told you not to come." Taker whispered to Stephanie angrily.

"You know what, Deadman? You no longer hold any power over me."

"We'll see about that." He reached for Carter, but Stephanie stepped back.

"Don't you dare touch her!"

"Stephanie, what is going on?" Xandra demanded.

"I'm sorry, Xandra, but I cannot, in good conscience, allow you to marry this...man."

"Stephanie?" Linda said as she walked over to her oldest daughter.

"Here." She replied as she handed over Carter to her mother. "I trust you more with her than I trust him."

Linda took Carter and softly whispered to her.

"Who's your friend?" Taker asked, regarding Jackson.

"Jackson. I'm one of the nurses who helped Stephanie in the delivery room."

"I'll ask again, Stephanie. What is going on?" Xandra asked once more.

"Xandra..." Stephanie took Xandra's hands in hers. "This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do."

"What's wrong?"

"Lizzie is more than your stepdaughter."

"Yeah..."

"She's...she's your niece."

"What...what are you talking about?"

"She's your niece." Stephanie said again, louder.

"No. She can't be. How is that possible?"

"Remember when I told you that my baby was stillborn?"

"Yeah?"

"I...I lied."

"What?"

"She's not dead. Mom's holding my daughter."

"Your..." She turned to look at the baby being held by Linda. "Lizzie is...is your daughter?"

Stephanie nodded, tears coming to her eyes.

Xandra then turned to Taker. "Wait. You said Lizzie was the result of a one night stand."

"Well...yeah."

She looked at Stephanie again. "Stephanie...were you the one night stand he was referring to?"

"Xandra, it's not what you think."

"Come on, Stephanie." Shane spoke up. "You've gotten this far. It's time you told her the truth."

"Shane-"

"Xandra, I'm sorry. I overheard her and Taker talking about how your fiancee got her pregnant."

"Stephanie, is this true?" Xandra demanded.

"Well...technically, it is. But Xandra-"

"How could you?" She asked sadly. "You knew I loved him and you slept with him?"

"No, I-"

"And you." She addressed Taker. "My sister? Of all people? Really?"

"Well..." He turned to Stephanie. "Looks like some things never change."

Stephanie looked at Taker angrily.

"Still disappointing your family. But this time, breaking your own sister's heart in the process. How low can you go?"

"Well, I didn't go alone. You helped."

"I'm not the one who lied about their daughter being dead."

"Well, my daughter wouldn't be here if it weren't for you doing what you did!"

"It takes two to tango."

"Not if one wasn't willing!"

"Wasn't willing?" Xandra inquired. "You mean...like rape?"

"Oh, please. She's delusional. Postpartum depression can do that to a woman. She's only calling it rape because she got caught." Taker stated.

"No, I'm calling it rape because that's exactly what you did!"

"Liar!"

"No! Do I have to remind you of what happened at Wrestlemania?"

"Wrestlemania? You mean the night he asked me to marry him?" Xandra asked.

"Yes. He came into my office to boast about his victory. I warned him to watch himself around you. I told him to leave, but he didn't. Pretty soon, I realized what was going to happen. I tried to fight him off, but it was no use. He got on top of me and he…he…" Stephanie couldn't finish her sentence. "After he was done...he bragged that he had asked you to marry him. That was my ultimate humiliation."

Xandra turned to Taker again. "Taker...is this true?"

Taker just stayed silent, looking around nervously.

"Well?!" Xandra demanded angrily.

He remained speechless.

Xandra simply shook her head and slowly walked over to her older sister and took her in an embrace.

"I'm so sorry, Stephanie." She said quietly.

"Stephanie..." Linda had to ask. "Is this how you got pregnant? Is Taker Lizzie's father?"

"Her name isn't Lizzie." Stephanie sobbed. "It's Carter. Carter Grace McMahon. I gave birth to her 2 days before Christmas. I only got to have her for a day before Taker kidnapped her from the hospital."

"You kidnapped your own daughter?!" Xandra cried.

"I had every right to! Stephanie was going to keep her away from me!" Taker defended himself.

"You didn't deserve to be a part of her life, especially with how she was conceived!" Stephanie yelled.

He turned to the rest of the family. "You're not really going to believe this, are you? Like I said, she's only calling it rape because she got caught in a lie!"

"You're the one who got caught in a lie." Jackson spoke up.

"Nobody's talking to you, boy." Taker snapped.

Jackson ignored him and handed an envelope to Xandra. "Here. It's Carter's birth certificate and a DNA test that Stephanie took to prove that she's her mother."

Xandra opened the envelope and read each document.

"She…she's really her daughter. Stephanie's telling the truth." Xandra said quietly.

"There's more." Stephanie cried. "Wrestlemania wasn't the first time Taker's done something like this."

"What do you mean?" Linda asked.

"In 1999, after Backlash, when he abducted me in the limo...he took me to a seedy hotel...and he raped me then, too."

"What?!" Xandra yelled at Taker.

"I can't remember how many times it was, but it was multiple times between then and when he brought me back to the arena."

"You...you...I can't believe you! I thought you loved me!"

"I do! I just-"

"You raped my sister, that's what you did! Not just years ago, but again! And on the same night you asked me to marry you!"

"Xandra, please...you know me. I don't have it in me to-"

He was stopped by a vicious right hook from Vince, which knocked him to the floor.

"You sick bastard! You raped Stephanie, and you manipulated my other daughter into marrying you!" He yelled.

"Vince, you've known me for years! I would never-"

"But you did!" Shane barked. "What the hell? We trusted you, Taker! We had all but welcomed you into the family! And you had to go and pull this crap?!"

Taker scrambled to get to his feet. He looked at the McMahon family surrounding him. Vince and Shane were visibly angry, Linda looked stunned while holding baby Carter, who surprisingly stayed silent through all of this…and then there was Xandra, his wife, who now looked at him in total disgust.

"Really, Xandra? You're going to believe her over me?" Taker asked.

"She's my sister. Of course I'm going to believe her." Xandra stated.

"Vince, after all these years...you don't-"

"I don't what? Think that you're capable of this horrible crime? Are you kidding me? I strongly suggest you leave now while you're still able to walk on your own." Vince ordered him.

Taker walked past his in-laws carefully. When he got to the door, he turned around to face them.

"You know what? Yeah, I've made some mistakes in my past, no doubt about that. But don't you dare question my love for Xandra...or that little girl. Whether you like it or not, you're stuck with me forever. You have a beautiful granddaughter, thanks to me, and you can't keep me away from her forever. I will be a part of her life." With that, he walked out of the church.

Vince walked over and took his oldest daughter in his arms. Shane walked to Xandra and put an arm around her.

"Stephanie, I'm so sorry this happened to you." Linda said sadly. She stroked Stephanie's back as Stephanie cried in Vince's arms.

"What are we going to do now?" Shane asked.

"First, let's go home." Vince declared. "We've all had a rough day, and I know Carter must be hungry."

"That and she needs to spend some time with her true mother." Xandra added.

"Yes. Then we can all decide what our next move is."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

The McMahon family was back home. Xandra and Shane were playing with Carter while Vince and Linda chatted with Jackson and Stephanie, who had told them everything Taker had done to her leading up to that moment, all the way from that first abduction back in 1999.

"I knew it." Linda said. "I knew there was something more to your past with Taker than what we both knew, but I never expected anything like this."

"Why didn't you come to us the first time this happened?" Vince asked.

"I was too scared. I didn't know how you'd react. I was afraid of bringing shame to the family." Stephanie confessed.

"You know we would have helped you as best as we could." Linda said. "You didn't have to go through all of this alone."

"I wanted to be a strong, independent woman who could make her own decisions without relying on both of you."

"Stephanie, we would have taken care of you." Vince stated reassuringly. "All you had to do was talk to us and we would have been by your side supporting you all the way."

"I know, and I'm sorry I didn't talk to you when all of this started again."

"It's all right. We're here now and we will help you get through this new stage in your life." Linda said.

"We'll help you with anything you and Carter need." Vince added.

"But what about Taker?" Stephanie asked. "He and Xandra are still legally married."

Vince took a deep breath. "We'll deal with Taker when the time comes. But for now, know that you and Carter will be closely guarded for the time being."

"Thanks, Dad. We appreciate it."

Meanwhile, Xandra had just changed Carter's diaper and set her down for a nap. She walked away and joined Shane on the other side of the room.

"You're pretty good with Carter." Shane stated.

"Thanks. I've learned a lot from taking care of her." Xandra replied.

"So what are you going to do about Taker?"

"Oh, I'm filing for an annulment, no doubt. Dad already said he'd help me with it."

"Good. So what was it like having to raise Taker's daughter?"

"It was interesting, to say the least. Now that I know she's actually my niece, I can actually start spoiling her rotten."

"Don't forget, you now have a nephew to spoil as well."

Xandra laughed. "How ironic is this? My brother and sister have kids, and I'm just a virgin bride."

"You mean, you and Taker didn't-"

"No. Every time we tried, he'd stop in the middle of things. Now I know I'm better off for not sleeping with him. Imagine if I'd wound up pregnant."

"Oh, God. That would have been extremely awkward, not to mention it would have torn a major rift between you and Stephanie, and I really didn't want that to happen. I hate that I mentioned the fact that I'd overheard that Taker had gotten Stephanie pregnant. If I knew the whole story then, I wouldn't have been so quick to judge her."

"I'm sure it's all right. You were just being protective of my feelings."

"And of your relationship with her. You two are so close and I wanted to make sure that wasn't destroyed in any way."

"I appreciate you looking out for us, Shane."

"Hey, I'm your big brother. It's in my job description."

Xandra hugged him.

Soon Stephanie came over to them.

"How's my little girl?" She asked.

"Out like a light." Xandra said.

"Stephanie, I just want to say that I'm sorry about calling you out in the church." Shane stated. "I honestly thought the worst of you when I heard that Taker had gotten you pregnant, and you didn't deserve that."

"It's OK, Shane. You didn't know the truth." Stephanie said. "And Xandra, I'm sorry for ruining your big day like that."

"Please! If anything, you saved me from making a huge mistake." Xandra told her. "I was just telling Shane that I'm glad I didn't lose my virginity to Taker. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself knowing I was sleeping with a rapist, especially one that had done that to my sister."

"I hear you're getting an annulment."

"I sure am. I can't be with a man that would do such horrible things, regardless of who he did it to."

"Good for you. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to watch over my daughter and make sure she and I are never separated again." She walked over to the playpen and peered down at a sleeping Carter.

"Hi, baby. Mommy's here. You and Xandra are free now. That horrible man who calls himself your father won't ever hurt any of us again. I promise, I'm never leaving your side…ever."

End of Book Three...FINALLY! This has been a thrill to write and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.

But there's still one more journey for Stephanie and the Undertaker.

BTW, to the "guest" who keeps leaving negative comments, grow some balls and quit being anonymous. If you hate my story so much, I'm not forcing you to read it. Go bother someone who actually cares about your irrelevant opinion. To quote the great Steve Wilkos, GET OFF MY STAGE!


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